(NECN: Scot Yount, Boston) – MBTA Police Officer Dic Donohue nearly gave his life to help capture the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. His survival is a testament to the courageous efforts of two Watertown firefighters.
You'll remember police were involved in a shootout with the suspects in Watertown just days after the bombings. Firefighters risked their own lives to save Officer Donohue.
They were recognized by the MBTA on Wednesday.
"I got taken care of, and I am here today, only because of those actions," said MBTA Police Officer Dic Donohue, who nearly lost his life in the shootout with the alleged Boston Marathon bombers.
Five months on, he and others gathered in historic Faneuil Hall in Boston to celebrate heroism, teamwork and dedication to duty.
Donohue's comrades in public safety formed a chain that would take him from what was essentially a battlefield, suffering with a severed femoral artery, to a hospital, all, just in time.
"Every decision they made, whether it be to try to stop the bleeding or render CPR, or go to Mount Auburn Hospital, put those things all together and I am here now, if you take one piece out, it could have been a lot different," Donohue said.
Two of the people in that talented chain, were Watertown Firefighters and EMTs Patrick Menton and James Caruso, who helped get Donohue to the hospital alive.
"It is great to see that he is doing well, you know he is up, got a little bit of a limp, he seems to be doing unbelievable, so, it is all you can ask for," said Menton.
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"I would say it is rewarding to be able to see him up, up and about doing as good as he is," Caruso said.
The first to render aid was Donohue's partner that night, Officer Lucas Kitto.
"I am amazed not just what I've been able to do, what everyone was able to do," Kitto said.
And that saved a life, and more. Medals and awards certify what happened in those days, but Donohue himself, that's the real reward.
"A little token of appreciation for their hard efforts that kept me here today, as well as the other folks that were involved in everything from the Boston Marathon forward," Donohue said.
The events of the Boston Marathon changed everything but their dedication.
"I like to think that nothing has changed, we are all still the same, and we are all still willing to keep doing the job, and perform as you know, we are supposed to," Kitto reflected.
And that made all the difference.
