Page 6 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, September 4, 2020 A life-saving couch move on Route 1 A woman driver credits state trooper with heroic action in removing a dangerous road hazard that could have killed her By Tara Vocino A Scituate woman hails a state trooper as a hero, claiming he saved her life by removing a couch from the roadway of Route 1 North – seconds before she would have crashed into it. Marie Fricker recalled driving in the left lane on Route 1, when, suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw blue lights from a police cruiser acAUTOTECH 1989 SINCE CA$H FOR YOUR CAR! DRIVE IT - PUSH IT - TOW IT! Cold Hard Cash For Your Car, Truck or SUV! 2012 KIA SOUL One Owner, Most Power Options, 101K Miles, Warranty, Runs & Looks Great! FUN IN THE SUN 2013 CADILLAC CTS Black/Black, All Wheel Drive, Every Loaded with Conceivable Option, Excellent Condition, Warranty, 130K Miles. RIDE IN STYLE! $6,500 $8,995 Easy Financing Available! 781-321-8841 1236 EasternAve • Malden EddiesAutotech.com We Pay Cash For Your Vehicle! J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. AT THE MIKE: Marie Fricker is interviewed by Boston FOX25 News in front of the Revere State Police barracks last week. She publicly thanked a state trooper for saving her life while driving down Route 1 and nearly colliding with a couch. (Courtesy photos to The Saugus Advocate) tivated near the entrance ramp to the far right. The car then put on its siren and crossed over the two lanes to her right in front of oncoming motorists and then came to a dead stop directly in front of her in the lane. “I had to jam on my breaks with my heart beating wildly while everything on my front seat went fl ying onto the fl oor,” Fricker said. “The offi cer then got out of his vehicle, walked ahead a few feet, and picked up a white couch that was lying in the left lane.” S LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 The Savings Bank President Bob DiBella, left, recently presented a donation to Eugene Nigro, right, a founding director of The Angel Fund for ALS Research, as a sponsor of the 19th Annual Walk of Hope for ALS. The Wakefield-based organization supports amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) research at the Cecil B. Day Laboratory for Neuromuscular Research at UMass Medical Center in Worcester. Although the Annual Walk of Hope for ALS is traditionally held in Wakefield, this year it will be a virtual walk on Saturday, Sept. 12. Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping COOL-HEADED AND CONFIDENT: Trooper Pasquale Zollo, of the Revere State Police Barracks, says he was just doing his job when he drove in front of Mary Fricker’s car to block her from hitting a couch in the outer lane of Route 1 North last week. Fricker said she definitely would have hit it if he hadn’t removed it. He stopped the other three lanes of traffi c while he carried the couch across Route 1 and dumped it over the guardrail. Trooper Pasquale Zollo, of the Revere barracks, said his cruiser stopped about a foot from the couch, and that Fricker was directly behind him, by a half of a car length. For him, it isn’t so much about recognition, but just another day on-the-job to protect and serve. “Road obstructions and debris on the roadways are constantly happening,” Zollo explained. “I feel honored and shocked, especially because myself and all the other troopers in the state deal with these types of calls on a daily occasion.” Fricker called Zollo her “angel in blue” during the fi ve-minute incident. She identifi es herself as a Catholic. But she never really had any angelic experiences like this one. “He was just there when I needed him out of nowhere,” she said. “It could have caused a multi-car crash, and I or someone else could have been killed.” Zollo felt like the situation was dangerous, but he put her and other drivers’ lives above his own. “Being in the left travel lane around a bend in the road during a peak travel time made it more dangerous,” Zollo said. “But I am confident with my driving skills, so I did not think a crash was going to happen.” —Tara Vocino may be reached at printjournalist1@ gmail.com. The Savings Bank supports Angel Fund’s Walk of Hope
7 Publizr Home