Imagine driving on Route 293, heading southeast toward West Point on a picturesque early afternoon, having a simple conversation with the passenger in your vehicle. You’ve passed Camp Natural Bridge and Camp Buckner to your left on your way back from leave to report to Cadet Basic Training II as first sergeant of that summer detail.
Route 293 is a winding road with several blind spots within its traverse and beautiful foliage that occupies every inch of the area along the roadside. As you enter another bend, you see landmarks to the left, such as the big Ranger rappel site on the mountainside, the Torii and the 82nd Airborne Division, the Cadet Summer Training Task Force’s symbol on a rock along the side. In the distance to your right, you see the impact site where howitzers launch 105mm mortars during summer training – it’s a magnificent view of the area, pretty distinguishable.
As you come around the last bend, there is a 2017 Chevrolet Silverado about three-to-four car lengths in front of you, traveling about 60 mph. Up further going north on the opposite side, a 2019 BMW 335i is trying to pass a dump truck at high speed. The quaint afternoon you envisioned to prepare yourself for the next four-to-five weeks is about to abruptly end.
According to a New York State Police press release of the July 5 afternoon, the driver of the BMW tried passing the dump truck on the eastern shoulder as he overcompensated seeing the oncoming traffic too late. After passing the dump truck, the driver re-entered the roadway and crossed over into the southern lane but struck the Silverado on the driver’s side, causing the BMW to leave the roadway and roll off the eastern shoulder, coming to rest in a wooded area while the Silverado came to rest in the wooded area as well.
Now time is of the essence in helping the victims of the head-on collision, so what would you do? You may have been shaken after visually seeing this happen right before your eyes within a whisker of your own vehicle. But what is your plan of action? Is it wait for someone else to act, or do you take it upon yourself to lead the way within the millisecond you have to think all this through?
In the mind of Class of 2025 Cadet Christopher Orta, leading the way was not an option, it was the only choice.
At that point, “I slammed on the brakes and cut off the traffic from behind us. I told (my fiancée) to make the phone call (to 911). I hopped out of the car and told the vehicle behind me to pull up and block traffic on the other end, which was already coming to a stop. Then, I moved to the casualties as now all traffic has stopped,” Orta said.
He added that he couldn’t remember the orientation of the vehicles because he was more concerned to look for bodies that may have ejected out of the vehicles due to the severe impact of the crash.
Orta witnessed everything happening in front of him, with the BMW trying to pull out from behind the dump truck to every corresponding action with his fiancée seeing the small vehicle rolling over into the tree line. The Silverado landed on its side while the dump truck came to a full stop in the roadway.
“(The driver) tried to pass the dump truck, but once he realized he wasn’t going to make it … he then tried to move off to the shoulder – it didn’t go well – as they (the Silverado) hit each other,” Orta said.
Orta added that he couldn’t remember every specific detail of the accident because he was tunnel- focused on the two vehicles in the accident as he said, “Unfortunately, it is what happens to the human mind in these kinds of situations.”
As Orta moved toward the vehicles, he saw that traffic had stopped. He saw pedestrians moving toward the truck and there were people getting out of the truck, so Orta said, “Alright, I will beeline it to the smaller vehicle that looked like it took way more of the damage.”
“Upon arrival, I noticed the driver was unconscious, but still responsive but coughing up a lot of blood. I then scanned the rest of the vehicle and noticed it was just him … anybody else would have been dead on the spot,” Orta said. “I turned back to view the other truck to try to do a quick triage, saw that there were people coming out, I didn’t see blood or any visible broken bones just by looking at them. Another vehicle behind them, the people had come out to try to help them and nobody seemed to be in a panic, so I’m going to stay with this individual (in the BMW).”
However, as Orta was doing a quick triage of the driver in the BMW, a fire that started in the engine compartment. Seeing that, Orta called out for someone to come help him. The volunteer beelined over to the other side of the vehicle to try to unbuckle the casualty but said he couldn’t.
“I said a really quick prayer, I said I hope you don’t have any spinal damage, and then I was cutting the seat belts to get him out of the vehicle,” said Orta as he instructed the individual to come around to him to help get the driver out.
It was at this point that another individual from one of the vehicle’s behind Orta ran over with a fire extinguisher and extinguished the fire.
“Once I was satisfied the fire was out, we left him in the vehicle because if it was a spinal injury, I didn’t want to make it any worse,” Orta said. “At this point, the individual was having a hard time breathing and his breathing was starting to slow down, so I adjusted his head and I started to talk with him … he was responding slightly to it. I was trying to not mess up his airway or his spinal area, but I moved his head slightly to make sure the airway was clear, and I just stayed right there with him.”
After scanning the area to see that traffic remained stopped and the individuals in the truck were out with no issues, Orta put all his attention into the casualty he was with.
“I was told emergency vehicles were on the way, so I sat there and talked with him until they got there,” Orta said. “When the emergency responders arrived, I gave them the full update that I could on the situation and I asked where do you want me, eventually they slowly pushed me off and took control of the situation.”
It was said it took about three minutes after the 911 call was placed by Orta’s fiancée for the emergency responders to arrive, although as Orta said with so much going on and with “my adrenaline rushing, time moves differently.”
While Orta – with the help of a couple of other individuals, including an off-duty EMT, who went to help the other casualties once the fire was under control – jumped into action quickly, there was a momentary dire situation for them until the fire was controlled by the other person with the fire extinguisher.
“I have a really bad habit of my own self-care, so there really wasn’t much of a thought of that,” said Orta as the fire added to the burden to the situation. “I was more focused on the individual and the ones around me approaching the vehicle, seeing the fire and needing to move him because it could blow up.”
Orta said he didn’t have any heavy emotions while in the situation and feels he is well-conditioned on just focusing on the job at hand.
“Afterward, after all the questions (with the emergency responders) … when I was back in the vehicle driving, that is when it hit me,” Orta said. “That’s OK because that was the environment that’s a better place for that to happen. Kind of like compartmentalizing in the moment and just handle business and get the work done and move on.
“The one thought I did have is when I was holding his head up, so that he could breathe, I did pray a lot,” he added. “I was talking to him. I was praying that no one else would die in my arms. I just didn’t want that to happen again. After something like this happens, I try to get more and more training because that is my response, positive or negative, but fortunately this time no gun wounds, no external bleeding – but it has never ended well.”
Building toward being a leader of character
Despite the unfortunate accident on July 5 that took Orta momentarily off his trip back to West Point, the road to West Point was always meant to be despite the roadblocks along the way.
The 24-year-old Defense and Strategic Studies major is the son of two 1983 graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy and calls himself an Alaskan resident and Virginia his original home. Due to his age, most people think he is prior service, but he actually went to four other institutions of higher learning while being declined acceptance on multiple occasions before finally coming to West Point.
“One of the most asked questions I get is, ‘Are you a prior,’ just based on the way I hold myself, the way I perform or the knowledge I have,” Orta said. “But, I say, ‘No, I’m just an old guy who never stopped trying.’”
Orta went to community college for multiple years in Virginia before going to Alaska for two years. Then, he went to a civilian prep school at the Georgia Military College before getting accepted to West Point.
About five weeks after the accident, Orta had his Affirmation Day Aug. 13, where the new juniors affirm their commitment to the U.S. Military Academy and at least eight years to the military. Was it a tough decision for Orta to make?
“It was a pretty easy decision to tell you the truth … I’ve already committed myself to helping others and to hopefully one day lead America’s sons and daughters,” Orta said. “The reason for me coming here is I want to surround myself around the best as I possibly could with the best resources and best opportunities to develop my own leadership style and my own character – I’ll continue to do that. The commitment itself is the same commitment I’ve made multiple times already and that’s to help inspire, lead and keep people alive the best I can.”
Orta said he is blessed to have the parents he has as his childhood was geared toward finding his own way while helping others was rooted deep in that philosophy. He was involved with many organizations that helped build his character including Children of the American Revolution (CAR), Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and the Boy Scouts of America.
“CAR, DAR and SAR are patriotic organizations that promote the roots of the nation and digging more into the characters who went about it – in the sense of looking at the forefathers and their actions,” Orta said. “They are pretty cool organizations.”
When the accident happened, it was not the first time he was involved in a dire situation where he had to jump into action to help. To prepare for the situation, as a Boy Scout, he took medical training to receive a merit badge and then advanced his medical training as a camp counselor and a camp ranger.
“In general, out in the woods, first responders aren’t going to get out there for at least 45 minutes because you’re in the middle of nowhere, so if something happens, you’re it,” Orta said. “Like I said, this is not the first time something like this has happened. I don’t know what clicks in me or what springs into action, but I can tell you that I do it – I take control and get in there.”
In the past, Orta has helped in previous car accidents and the results of gun violence, allowing him to remain calm and collected in the most recent accident.
Two weeks before the accident, Orta prayed that if something like that happened again that, “Lord, please let me save the next one. I’ve trained, I’ve got more medical training, I’ve practiced, so if it happens again … allow me to have the resources and do the best I can.”
As fate has it, it happened again. Even with the limited resources, he and the other individuals sprang into action and did their best under the circumstances.
“There are a lot of emotions that come with it, but remaining calm is not an issue for me in these situations … just staying focused, staying with it and working – you can think about all those emotions afterward,” Orta said. “You can think about yourself and what happened afterward, but while you’re there, it’s focusing on who’s hurt and on what people need.”
And despite what they had on hand, Orta praised the person who provided a fire extinguisher, which allowed the patients to get to a higher level of medical care without causing further damage or injury.
“You can call it a higher power, you can call it luck, but you can call it the right people at the right place at the right time and the fact that anybody came out of their vehicles at all to help is quite enlightening,” Orta said.
Praise to Orta, his fiancée and the others involved
West Point Fire Department Fire Chief Alex Rivera, whose men at WPFD were the first responders to arrive at the scene, met with Orta to discuss the accident about a week afterward and had much praise to how Orta helped the victims in the accident.
“It was extremely impressive,” Rivera said. “It speaks to Cadet Orta’s ability to act poised and agile in the face of a traumatizing event. What was most impressive was his ability to make quick decisions to control traffic, to assist and communicate to the driver of the vehicle while not becoming overwhelmed by the incident.”
Rivera reiterated that it took his crew about three minutes from the dispatch to reach the accident on Route 293 but said the actions of those on the ground were exemplary considering what could have happened with the car fire.
“This was an extremely dangerous situation that could have resulted in the loss of life or more extensive injury had it not been for Cadet Orta and actions taken by other bystanders,” Rivera said. “Fires can quickly consume vehicles without intervention and can result in an explosion. I was very impressed with his ability to not only recollect very specific details of the incident (a week later), but also his ability to explain why he took the actions that he did.
“It led me to ask if he had any background in emergency services to which he stated he didn’t,” Rivera said. “The steps he took were spot on.”
Rivera said that it was essential that the bystanders helped, but, in general, the assistance Orta received and the actions taken by the others prior to the emergency responders’ arrival is a rare occurrence.
With it being a rare occurrence, Rivera’s piece of advice for anyone who witnesses an accident is to “Stay calm, immediately call 911 and provide as many specific details as you can to include location, what you see and any actions that have been taken so far. In addition, do not place yourself in a situation that can make you a victim as well.”
Rivera added more praise on Orta saying that he, “exemplifies what the U.S. Military Academy expects from its future leaders.”
“I appreciate Cadet Orta’s strong moral convictions and his humbleness regarding the actions he took,” Rivera said. “His only concern was for those involved in the accident. We were unable to find out who the other bystanders were, but if anyone knows who they are, I would like to meet them, shake their hands and recognize them for their actions.”
Also mentioned was Orta’s fiancée who received praise for how professionally she communicated the accident, the location and the surroundings.
“It really makes me happy (she received praise),” Orta said. “She has a history with responding to these kinds of things as well, so it’s kind of right place, wrong time. She was an RA, resident advisor, which is at normal schools and colleges. We both have been RAs, and we have training in making those kinds of phone calls to emergency services.
“I was told by the police officers and the first responders, which they said on the phone call that she gave them all the information they needed and the situation while remaining calm and collected through it all,” he added. “I really like to thank her for that.”
As for the praise he received from Chief Rivera, Orta said he appreciated the kind words.
“I’m really good at acting in the moment, and also upholding these values I hold so dear,” Orta said. “What I’m not good at is getting recognized for it – I almost prefer not to be. This is what is expected, this is the standard because once it is done, let us move on … then again, it’s always nice to hear and to be recognized for something you completed, and people are saying that you’ve done well. It reinforces whatever action was completed, so hopefully in the future it can be repeated or taught to others – emphasis on teaching it to others.”
As of a week ago, Orta was contacted on the possibility of receiving an award for his actions, but at this time it is still up in the air.
Much like Rivera, Orta wanted to thank everyone who helped, especially the man with the fire extinguisher. Orta got his name but didn’t write it down and forgot it. He just remembers that the man said his company’s policy is not to stop for accidents, and he’s supposed to keep going no matter what.
“The fact that he did stop and pulled out his fire extinguisher to help us knowing that there could be consequences for his actual work … I really like him to be mentioned because without him that situation would have gotten much worse, much faster – a car fire, battery fire would have ended really badly, so I really appreciate him being recognized as well,” Orta said.
Even though it was a tough situation to be in with real-life danger, Orta jokingly said, “I am way better in these situations than I am on a test.”
“However, there’s no lesson in a classroom that can teach you character and response,” Orta explained. “What we learn in a classroom oftentimes falls short of what is necessary and what is needed in the actual field. It’s not to say you don’t find value in academics or in the classroom, but just simply talking about something is the bare minimum. If you want to see the big picture, see how you can solve it and you have to go out there. Unfortunately, or fortunately, these kinds of situations are not a common thing for people to respond to, so it’s harder to get that kind of real training.”
However, as Orta strives to one day be an Infantry officer, he does wonder if God is preparing him for something bigger when he serves as an Army officer.
“That’s the really scary thing,” Orta said. “What in this blue, green earth is the good Lord preparing me for if this is what keeps happening to me, so we’ll see.”
Unfortunately, from the New York State Police’s report, the 28-year-old driver of the BMW was pronounced deceased after being transported to Westchester Medical Center due to a serious head injury. However, the passenger in the Silverado was only treated for a broken leg and the driver escaped with no injuries.
While in some ways that could put a damper on the heroism of everyone involved that day, the important thing that Orta’s focuses on and the best advice he would give anyone who finds themselves in a comparable situation in the future is to do one thing, “Help.”
“Even if it’s just calling 911 or talking to somebody, help,” Orta said. “If you are not the one taking charge of the situation, be open-minded enough and accept the commands of whoever is. It it’s offering a bottle of water, it’s a bottle of water. If it’s offering a blanket, it’s a blanket. If it’s just a couple of kind words to someone in their final moments, if that’s all you can do, that’s all you can do.
“But I think the most important thing is to respond and to actually put yourself in the position,” he added. “Too often I have seen people hide or run in the other direction, it’s not what we do, it’s not what I think people should do. I think it should be the opposite is when you see the accident, smell the fire or hear the gun shots, run toward it, go toward the point of friction … help as much as you can. There is a limit … but in the end, I hope somebody gets inspired from this story.”
(Editor’s note: Some names in the story were withheld at the request of Cadet Orta.)
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