Some fraternity brothers from University of New Haven showed the true meaning of brotherhood this weekend when they became one member’s heroes.
Nick Rodriques and the other members of Sigma Alpha Epsilon were hiking at East Rock Park in New Haven over the weekend when he had an emergency.
“We were hiking, and out of nowhere, his body just locked up and he went into a seizure,” Kevin Goralski, vice president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said.
Fortunately, two of the brothers are EMTs and went to Nick’s rescue.
“Pat, he went and started doing basic life support,” Goralski said of one of the EMTs.
While the trained EMTs kept Rodriques alive, Kevin Goralski tried to call 911, but it was not easy.
He had to travel to lower ground just to call for help.
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“I called 911 three or four times. There was no cell service there. I kept calling back. I had to come down off the mountain and go to a paved road, and I found out where we were and started talking to the dispatcher,” he said.
Once he pinpointed the group's location for the dispatcher, Goralski met up with the fire department to guide firefighters inside East Rock.
The fire department credits the SAE brothers for saving Rodriques. Their quick thinking and fast action made a huge difference.
“When something happens, especially when it's someone you know, you don't think, you just respond,” Alex LaMere, of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said.
Rodriques has been released from the hospital and is home recovering.
“Luckily, we had a lot of people there who were trained and we were able to take care of him until New Haven arrived,” Anthony D'Addario, of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, said.
