Title: Fatal Accident (Garden City FD)
General Information:
- Place of collection: Garden City Fire Department – Garden City, NY (via phone call from Hanover, NH)
- Date of Collection: November 4, 2019
- Informant: Cody George
- Genre: Customary Folklore – Legend
Informant Information:
- Cody George is a volunteer firefighter for the Garden City, NY fire department. He is currently 24 years old and lives in Garden City while commuting to downtown New York for his day job during the week. Cody was born and raised in Garden City, New York. He is currently in training and holds the title of Firefighter at the Garden City Fire Department but has already been a crucial member of the team and assisted in over 100 calls.
Context:
- Cultural Context:
- Firefighters are often required to adapt to the calls they receive. Because of this they must be ready for any type of incident that comes up and must be ready to change their tactics if required.
- Social Context:
- When asked about a certain legend or story that really stuck out with our informant, he mentioned this car crash because of its proximity to his home and because it was a prime legend among the department in terms of how one call can turn into something completely different within a matter of moments.
Item:
- Near Cody’s house in the town where he works, there was a fatal car accident where an individual was DoA (Dead on Arrival). The Fire Department was initially asked to come clean up a gas spill from the car but as soon as they arrived they noticed that the incident would require more than that. Although our informant was not qualified to handle this incident, he did recall that they used certain cutting tools and that this story has been passed along throughout the years as a notable experience.
Associated Audio:
Informant’s Comments:
- Cody said it was a very eye-opening experience and that it was almost surreal because it was one of the first dead bodies he had ever seen.
Collector’s Comments:
- I found it very interesting that our informant was willing to share such a dark story with us and was surprised by how this story carried such weight among the department. I cannot imagine what my reaction might have been if I were put in the same situation as him but since they were prepared and had been practicing all their other rituals and training traditions they felt prepared and use this legend as a reminder for future calls.
Collector’s Name: Albie Austin
Tags:
- Fatal, Legend, Garden City