Archive: Around Town

Long-time TCAT rider Serena Keller of Ithaca is calling TCAT operator Gary Lund a “lifesaver.”

 At around 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6, Keller was on the Route 14 along with her 3-year-old niece, Jada Grubb, who she was taking home to the little girl’s mother after a weekend visit. All was well until Jada began choking on a piece of candy.

Keller said she panicked and carried Jada toward the front of the bus, which was headed on Route 79 toward the Linderman Creek Apartments. She said she knows how to perform the Heimlich maneuver on adults, but not on children. They require a more delicate version of the procedure.

Lund, a TCAT bus operator since August, heard the commotion while another passenger on the bus called 9-1-1 on her cell phone. TCAT bus operators are neither required nor expected to be trained in first aid. But fortunately, Lund had extensive first-aid training while serving as a military police officer for 20 years in the U.S. Army and also as a former volunteer firefighter in the Ithaca area.

Lund calmly pulled over and parked his bus off Route 79, near Sunrise Terrace, and offered his help. Keller, of course, willingly accepted. Lund took the terrified little girl, gently pushed on her back and within seconds, out popped a little piece of hard candy. Jada was breathing normally, though she was quite shaken.

Keller, 32, delivered Jada safe and sound to her sister and Jada’s mother, Leanna Gandy.


“He saved her life, and he saved my life…from her mother,” Keller said in a later interview. “Thank God for him.”

Keller and her sister both said they are grateful to Lund and both are hoping he receives recognition for his efforts.

Lund, a retired U.S. Army first lieutenant, had his share of experiences with emergencies. While still serving in the Army, he was part of the rescue and recovery effort at Ground Zero in New York City following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. And he’s a dad. The 51-year-old has an 18-year-old son of his own and recalled helping his son when he was small during typical childhood choking episodes.

He was very modest about his most recent heroics with little Jada.

“She just needed a little help,” Lund said. “When they are little, they don’t understand what is going on. You don’t want to wait with a kid. Everybody has that soft spot in their heart when they see a kid in trouble, it always hits you.”

Lund said TCAT bus operators face a variety of incidents every day where they have to be fast thinking, responsive and sensitive toward their passengers and other motorists.

“We are very proud of Lund, his calmness and quick thinking,” said TCAT General Manager Joe Turcotte. “Though TCAT bus operators are instructed to call 9-1-1 first when emergencies arise, this situation couldn’t wait.”

He said Lund will receive a TCAT commendation for his quick and professional response.

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