Carlisle Fire and Rescue Services were notified Saturday morning of an auto accident with a tour bus on mile marker 227. John Heberlig, the Fire Chief, was one of the responders at the scene and participated in the rescue mission of Amanda Michalski and Nadine Wallace.
“When I pulled up I knew we definitely had something,” said Heberlig, age 46. “After I saw a lot of the students coming out, I didn’t know what to expect.” After realizing the severity of the situation, Heberlig said he “put his game face on” and helped the other personnel on the scene.
“We just have been thinking about the whole community and school from the time we were dispatched. This accident is going to be in our heads for the a long time,” he said.
Heberlig and his wife visited Michalski and Wallace at Carlisle Regional Medical Center the day after the accident.
“It was a relief. That was the first time I ever did this. For somebody I didn’t know I wasn’t sure how they would react,” said Heberlig. “It made me feel really good that they were happy that I showed up.”
Heberlig recounted emotional conversations with both girls, who both expressed thanks to him and his company. He also said that he hopes to find an occasion to travel to Seton Hill University to meet with more of the lacrosse team.
“We hated to see this happen to this school. We did what we could to save lives,” said Heberlig.