BOSTON (WHDH) - Two Bridgewater men who risked their lives to save a couple stuck in a disabled car on a railroad crossing as a train approached in January were awarded the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award for Civilian Bravery on the 17th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ray Armistead and Ryan Saba noticed the stranded car on the Broad Street railroad tracks on Jan. 4 during the first big snowfall of the year.
They rushed over and helped get Arthur and Peggy Barros out of the vehicle as a train approached and the railroad crossing arms came down.
Soon after being freed, the Barros’ car was struck by the train.
Armistead and Saba remained with the Barros until officers arrived and later identified themselves as the men who helped the stranded couple after police reached out on social media searching for them.
“With little time to spare before tragedy struck, Ray Armistead and Ryan Saba acted decisively to intervene and help two strangers in an urgent and hazardous situation,” Gov. Charlie Baker said. “The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a better place because of people like Ray and Ryan and their bravery rightly honors the proud tradition of these awards and the legacy of service tragically begun by Madeline Amy Sweeney on September 11, 2001.”
Baker honored Armistead and Saba Tuesday with the Madeline Amy Sweeney Award, which is named after a 14-year veteran American Airlines flight attendant who lived in Acton.
Sweeney was aboard American Airlines Flight 11 on Sept. 11, 2001, the first of two aircraft hijacked by terrorists and flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Before the plane hit the tower, Sweeney contacted the airline’s ground services crew to convey critical information about the hijackers and their actions on the plane that morning.
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