Mineola resident Mary Murtha of Berkley Road was at home last Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 11, when she heard yelling coming from the street. She looked outside her door to see a man bleeding in the street.

Murtha, who is a nurse at Winthrop-University Hospital, said she could see the man was bleeding pretty badly from the arm. She thought quickly and got one of her husband's ties. She then ran outside to the man and a car that had stopped.

A woman who lived around the corner called 911 and a neighbor who lived across the street came out with water. Murtha then proceeded to use the tie around the man's arm to make a tourniquet. Murtha said the man had been working in a house down the block. She said the man's arm was almost severed. She held the arm up until the ambulance arrived.

Murtha also gave credit to her neighbor Christine Tretolo, who was instrumental in the rescue effort.

The man was transported to Nassau University Medical Center.

Murtha said she heard the man had had many hours of surgery to re-attach the arm.

For Murtha, it was a traumatic experience. "I think God was with me that day. He was with both of us," she said. "I was very lucky that I kind of knew what to do."

- Joe Rizza