Mansey R. Billiot
June 21, 2011
Eugene Valentine Sr.
June 23, 2011
A gathered crowd of inactive on-lookers led Lafourche Parish sheriff’s deputies to believe the crisis had been quelled.
But that was not the case, and Lt. Andrew Labat and Deputy Anthony Stelly took control of the scene, waded into the canal and eventually rescued a Larose woman from an overturned truck.
‘Probably about a dozen or so people were standing on the shoulder, Stelly, 32, said of the early October morning. ‘I actually thought they had got her out already. When I got out of my vehicle, that’s when I heard her screaming, ‘Please help. Please help. Get me out. Don’t let me drown.’ And that’s when we realized that she was still in the vehicle.
One of the gathered civilians tossed Stelly a window punch, and after three or four swings, he broke through the glass. The truck was resting on its roof in about 3.5 feet of water in a canal next to La. Highway 1 south of the Greater Lafourche Port Commission.
The woman had broken free from her seat belt and was sitting with her head above the surface. She was ‘petrified, the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies said.
‘It was dark, you couldn’t see, Labat said of the underwater situation. ‘All you could do was talk to her.
‘[We were] just letting her know that we’re there, she’s going to be OK. Letting her know and convincing her that the vehicle’s not going to sink anymore. ‘If you remain calm, we can get you out. You have air, so you’re going to be OK.’ Just reassuring her.
‘We grabbed her feet, counted to three, made her hold her breath and then we pulled her out, Stelly said.
Stelly and Labat were joined on-scene by Harbor Police Officer P.J. Lyons, and the three law enforcement officers received the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association award for valor last month at the LEPA conference in New Orleans.
‘It just means that people take the time out to appreciate what you did, Labat, 45, said. ‘That’s what it means the most to me. People are willing to take the time to acknowledge the efforts that you do, so in that respect, it’s very nice. I was very glad to receive it.
Still, Labat admitted the attention that came along with the case is embarrassing. An 18-year LPSO veteran and six-year member of the U.S. Air Force, Labat said it wasn’t as if his own life was in danger and he was a little wary of the situation being glorified as if he were risking his own life.
‘I’ve been in spots that were scary and a lot worse and a lot hairier, times when I thought I had been shot, he said. ‘It was probably very eventful for her and it was a nice thing to do, I guess. You don’t want to diss people who are thanking you for doing it, but it was not as eventful for me.
‘We were glad we could do that for somebody, he continued. ‘It was disappointing not to see people reacting before we got there, so that’s what I kind of walked away with more. Not what we did, but with what other people didn’t do.
Stelly and Labat said regular people can have a similar impact on a dangerous situation. They didn’t advocate for a hero-like attitude, but said people can contribute in small ways and the key to helping someone in danger is identifying potential contributions.
‘Definitely call it in right away, Labat said. ‘Try and assess any danger, see what you can do. Everybody can do a little. That way, if they walk away from it, they did what they could do. Whether somebody survived or died in an accident or any situation, you can say, ‘Well, I reacted, I tried to do something.’
From left, Harbor Police Officer P.J. Lyons, Deputy Anthony Stelly and Lt. Andrew Labat hold up their awards from the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association. LEPA recently awarded the three men for valor after they rescued a Larose woman from an overturned truck in a canal last October. COURTESY PHOTO
