Hummer Forums by Elcova - Lucky to be alive

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<TD><SPAN class=head>Lucky to be alive</SPAN>

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<TD><SPAN class=subhead>Fireman saved by 'hand of God' after SUV lands on
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<TD><SPAN class=bylinename>BY TONY SCLAFANI
DAILY NEWS POLICE BUREAU</SPAN>

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<TD><FONT size=-1>Firefighter Marc Kroenung miraculously walked away from
having this SUV land on his head after manhole explosion in Bronx.
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class=bodytext>A manhole explosion sent an SUV flying onto a Bronx firefighter -
but he was miraculously saved by his helmet when he crashed clean through a side
window.

Firefighter Marc Kroenung, a 33-year-old married father of two, was helping
extinguish a manhole fire Saturday when an underground explosion sent the
Cadillac Escalade hurtling upward.

The giant SUV came down sideways, with the driver's side window shattering
against Kroenung's helmet as the auto crashed to the pavement. He was left
standing inside the overturned SUV.

"I just heard the boom and then I'm like, 'What just happened?' " Kroenung
told the Daily News last night. "Then I realized I'm stuck." Kroenung was left
trapped but not seriously hurt - leaving his fellow Engine 73 firefighters
stunned, then joyous after they pulled him from the wreckage on Beck St. in
Longwood on Saturday night.

Kroenung received five stitches to his head at Jacobi Medical Center, where
his close call left staffers marveling.

"He looked great. It was like the hand of God was watching him," a nurse said
last night.

The incident began just after 9:30 p.m. when firefighters responded to a
manhole fire on Leggett Ave. As firefighters doused the flames, Kroenung went
around the corner to his rig on Beck St. to get tools to help Con Edison workers
open more manholes to relieve underground pressure.

Then a buildup of carbon monoxide because of the fire sparked the explosion
120 feet away - causing the manhole cover to blast into the SUV parked above,
launching it into the air.

Kroenung's helmet and back took the brunt of the impact, officials said.

"I think the helmet definitely saved my life," said Kroenung, after being
discharged from the hospital at 6 p.m. yesterday.

Kroenung, who was able to talk to his lieutenant throughout the ordeal,
eventually wiggled his head out of the helmet and then firefighters ripped off
the windshield and pulled him out.

"It's a miracle he was alive, that he wasn't hurt more severely," a fire
official said.

The underground blaze ignited inside a service box, possibly because of wires
corroded from snow and salt, said Con Ed spokeswoman Joy Faber.

There were no power disruptions and crews were making repairs yesterday, she
said.

Kroenung said he's still a bit shaken and nursing some bruises to his left
side but planned to return to work soon.

"I'm just thankful for the way things turned out," he said. "I'm just glad to
be home. I'm lucky."</P></SPAN></TD></TR></table>