UNITY, Maine — A young couple helped save the life of an elderly woman who fell outside her home and broke her leg on a cold day earlier this week, according to the Waldo County Sheriff’s Office.
The 86-year-old fell near her home on the Town Farm Road on Tuesday, and she could not get back on her feet, stated a report from newly sworn-in Waldo County Sheriff Jeff Trafton.
“She had fallen in an area where no one could see her on the ground, and no one was with her at the time of the fall,” the report said. “The woman was able to drag herself a short distance and to an area where she was visible from the road.”
Temperatures were in the teens on Tuesday, police said.
About 20 minutes after the woman fell and hurt herself, Hailey Giggey and her boyfriend Matthew Slater passed by the home. Giggey saw her on the ground and told her boyfriend, then called 911. The couple gathered blankets to warm the “very cold” woman, according to the police report, and tried to keep her still while they waited for emergency responders to arrive.
After Deputy James Porter from the sheriff’s office, Unity Fire Chief David Smith and crew members from the Unity Ambulance service arrived, the woman was taken to Inland Hospital in Waterville and then to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor to be treated for her broken leg.
“It is comforting to know that in a time of crisis, there are those in our community that are still willing to lend a helping hand,” Trafton wrote. “It is this type of selfless action conducted by individuals like Ms. Giggey and Mr. Slater that makes Waldo County such a great place to live.”
Giggey and Slater were recognized for their actions on Friday when Trafton presented them with a certificate, a letter of thanks and an official Waldo County Sheriff’s Office challenge coin.