A (9:03)
I'll put it through. Yes, sir. I'm gonna tighten up now, Cocker. Let me know if it digs in too much. I don't think I have any tail in there. You'll know. I'll keep that stocking close to the groin as I sit, pal. Yes, sir. That's not getting too tight, is it? No, not too. Another couple of turns. Hey, stop it. Stop it bleeding. Pop, get over there out of the way. Can you stand up there? It's okay. There's a skipper. Sergeant. Yeah. Hello, Cockle. Captain. Hi, Captain. Bobby. What happened now? This man stopped me on the street and said a fellow was up here bothering his 15 year old daughter. I came up to get it straightened out. She came after me with a knife. Did you follow him? Yes, sir. Did you, Colby, examine that, Captain? Yeah. Farrell. Yes, sir. Hold it tight and count to 100. Then loosen it up and count to 50 before you tighten it again. Okay. I want to talk to you, Captain. Just lean back and relax, Paul. I think he got that big artery in there. Captain. He's pouring out of there like out of a fountain. Did the call come over, ambulance responding? Yes, sir. Well, you better send somebody down to check on us. Yes, sir. The carol? Yes, sir. Go downstairs and ring in. See where the ambulance is. Yes, sir. Looks like he lost a lot of blood. Yes, sir. Too much? Let's hope not too much, Sergeant. A lot is enough. Within another Few minutes, an ambulance had arrived, and Patrolman Cochran was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital at Fifth Avenue and the 103rd Street. In the meantime, the 21st Squad had been notified by the desk officer. And before the ambulance departed for the hospital, Detectives DeLuca and Goldman arrived to take charge of the investigation. They questioned the prisoner, George Kotella, on the scene and then took him to the station house. When I went downstairs and got into my car, I instructed the operator, Patrolman Coley, to drive to the ambulance entrance at Mount Sinai. I got out of the car and walked through to the admitting office, where the attendant told me Patrolman Cochran was being treated in emergency room number three. When I made the turn down the corridor, I saw Sergeant Waters waiting outside the open door to the treatment room. Hello, Captain. How is he? He wasn't so good when he came in, Captain. He was sort of going off, you know, lost a lot of blood. Yeah, well, as soon as they got him in here, he went to work with the plasma, you see? Oh, I guess that part is taken care of. All right. Who's the doctor? See that little fellow in there with the glasses? The one on this side? Yeah. He's a resident in surgery. Who's the other one? Well, one of the nurses told me that one of the biggest surgeons on the staff was just finishing up an emergency appendectomy over in a private provision. She said, get him if I could. So I walked over there and asked him, and he said, sure, I'd be. Grabbed him. Oh, There he is. Dr. Lowfield. Okay, good. Did he tell you anything? Took one look at Cochrane, I went to work. Oh, listen, Captain, Cochrane's worried about how his wife's gonna be notified. Where does he live? Out in Bayside, the 111th Precinct. Through the communications bureau and the precinct out there. Why? Well, he's worried because she's five months pregnant and she's home alone with their other kid. Oh. He says she's sure to think it's something a lot worse than just a cut in the leg. He'd like to call around the phone himself. Well, we'll see what the doctor says. Yes, sir. That boy, George Suread is nice. Sharp and on the summit. It was like a razor. Cochlar's lucky he only got a nick in the leg instead of one in the head or the neck. Yeah. Done some real damage. He did enough damage as it is. Yes, sir. We got him here in time anyway. Looks like they're through with him. For now, anyway. I want to meet the doctor. Yes, sir. Hello, Sergeant. Oh, Doctor, this is Captain Kennelly, Commanding Officer, 21st Precinct. Dr. Lowfield. Doctor. How do you do, Captain? Well, I certainly appreciate your taking care of one of my men. I was in the hospital. I'm glad to do it, Doctor. Is there any chance he could be wheeled to a telephone and call his wife? If we have to notify her in the ordinary manner, she's liable to think he's a lot worse off than he is. Well, I'm afraid he can't do any telephoning just yet, Sergeant. We have to give him a shot. Oh, perhaps in a couple of hours. She'd have to be notified by then. How is he, Doctor? I'd like to talk to you about him if I can, Captain. Yes, of course. Let's go over and sit down on the bench. I've had a rough night. Sure. Oh, Sergeant, I'd like you to do something for me. Yes, sir. Go to the admitting office and ring into the house. See what's doing. Yes, sir. Right away, Captain. Sit down, Captain. You don't happen to have a cigarette on you? I left mine upstairs. Oh, sure. Thank you. Thanks. How about him, Doctor? He's going to be all right, isn't he? I hope so. Is there any dog? It's only a cut in the thigh. Oh, there's no danger of him dying. I didn't mean to imply any such thing. Not that. What is it? Well, you remember where the wound was? Yes. About three inches below the groin. On the inside of his right thigh? About. And he was bleeding? Profusely, although the wound wasn't too deep. Bright red blood? Yes. Sergeant Waters applied a tourniquet. Sergeant Waters probably saved his life. The point of the knife completely severed a superficial branch of the femoral artery. The main artery is the ring. Well, the femoral divides into two branches just below the groin. It was one of those branches, naturally. Our main concern at the moment was to stop the flow of blood. We were able to do this by clamping off the severed end of the vessel. His condition is weak from the loss of blood, but we've started on whole blood in addition to plasma, so that's no concern. You need any donors, I can call for volunteers. All of our men are tight. Not at the moment, Captain, but I'm sure the hospital would be glad to have it. Blood bank replenished. He's a big man. Wendy was running dry. We'll take care of it, Doctor. Now, I could take him upstairs to surgery and go probing for the other end of the vessel. And if I found it, I could try to make a repair. I don't know where I'd find it, if at all. He's suffering from loss of a great amount of blood. He's in a state of shock. If it were necessary to perform such an operation at the moment to save his life, I'd do it. But his life isn't in danger. The operation, however, in this condition would be at the risk of his life. Well, is there any risk if you don't operate? Yes. There's a 5050 chance he'll lose his leg. Oh, the human body is a wonderful thing, Captain. It knows what to do when it gets in trouble. And a good part of the time by natural processes. It makes our surgeons look very good. In a case such as this, the blood supply to parts of his leg is gone. The tissues aren't being fed. But there are compensating factors. Collateral circulation is set up by other blood vessels in the region. Now, if it develops that there is sufficient collateral circulation, then he'll be all right. Do you think there will be? Well, as I said, it's a 5050 chance. Right now, there are indications both ways. The thing I'm worried about is that the lower part of his leg is cold and has lost its color. That's not a good sign. No, Captain, it certainly isn't. I returned to the station house at 11:25, and I telephoned directly to the 111th Precinct in Bayside, Queens. The commanding officer was not on the job. I spoke to the lieutenant on desk duty. I informed him that he would receive via teletype in a few minutes instructions to notify the wife of Patrolman Cochrane of his injury. I explained to him that Mrs. Cochran was pregnant, and that fact should be taken into consideration. When the notification was made, a lieutenant told me that he would send his patrol sergeant on the job as soon as the teletype instructions were received. After I finished the conversation, I walked out of my office, through the muscle room and up to the second floor, where the prisoner, George Patello, was being questioned by detectives of the 21st Squad. Is Lt. King in his office? Yes, he's in there, Captain. Yes. Captain Canelli. Come in, Captain. Hello, Matt. Hello, Captain. How is he, Captain? Not so good, man. What do you mean, not so good? All it was was a little cut in the leg. A little cut in the leg? Well, if you just sit there and keep your mouth shut, you're in enough trouble now. Don't make any more for yourself. I told you I was sorry. You'll be a lot sorrier. There's an artery severed, Matt. It's even money. He'll lose the leg. That's tough. You gonna lose a leg? Yes, that's what it looks like, George. Are you kidding? Why would I be kidding? Well, it was just a little cut. A little cut like that? It was in the wrong place, though. I feel terrible about that. You know, I. I didn't know what I was doing. I had a few drinks. I had no idea what I was doing. But you did it anyway. I was drunk. I'm sorry. That's no excuse. I didn't mean it. It must have meant something. You went up there and bothered those people. You tried to make time with a 15 year old girl. I like her. Is there a log instead? She's 15 years old. She doesn't want a thing to do with you. You threw her father out of the house. You were reeling, drunk on wine. You pulled a knife on a police officer and stuck. He may lose his leg. All right, you're sorry. What's it supposed to get you? I don't know, I guess. Well, I know George, and I'm not sorry. Are you married, Captain Cochran? Yep. Married and has one child. Another on the way. You've been notified? The notification just went out. They live in the 111th. They should be coming in. Yeah, I told the desk officer out there that if there's any difficulty about transportation, I'd send a car for her. Well, send a squad car if you can't spare one from patrol. All right, Matt, thanks. Maybe I'll take you up on that. Listen, what do you think is gonna happen to me? I never been in trouble before. Not in bad trouble. I mean, what are they gonna do to me? I hope they throw the key away, George. They won't, will they? I mean, I never been in a big jam before. Yeah, but you hit the jackpot the first time you pull. After I turned out the 12 to 8 platoon at midnight and the men marched out the front door, the switchboard buzzers sounded. It was the desk officer at the 111. He informed me that Mrs. Cochran had been notified of the injury to her husband. She had telephoned her sister, who resided in Brooklyn, to come and stay with her 3 year old son while she went to the hospital. The sister was on the way by taxicab and Mrs. Cochran could not be expected at Mount Sinai Hospital before another hour. At 12.40pm a car came by the house and drove me to Mount Sinai, where I was directed to the floor on which they had put Patrolman Cochran. Only the dim night lights were on in the corridor. I approached the floor nurse. He told me the doctor was in examining Cochrane again. I walked down the hall and waited outside the room. Several minutes later, a young woman hurried down the corridor in my direction.
