The Erie County District Attorney's Office congratulates Lt. Paul Greiner and Deputy Scott Steva of the Erie County Sheriff's Department on a job well done in the water rescue of a vehicle crash victim on Interstate 79. "These officers are true heroes, who, took swift action that saved the life of one of our citizens and prevented a certain tragedy", says Erie County District Attorney Bradley H. Foulk.

     On September 29, 2007, Lt. Paul Greiner and Deputy Scott Steva, both Erie County Sheriff Deputies were enroute to the Erie County Prison via interstate 79 after picking up a prisoner from the Crawford County Jail. Just before entering Erie County the deputies saw a small group of people standing in a heavy rain on the side of the highway looking over the embankment. The deputies stopped to see if they could be of assistance and were surprised to see a overturned vehicle resting on its roof in a deep ditch with rushing water. Upon hearing there was a driver trapped in the vehicle the deputies immediately jumped into the water and attempted to pull the victim from the vehicle. The driver was still in the driver's seat restrained by his seatbelt. The water level was reaching the victim's head and time was of the essence. The deputies crawled into the passenger compartment, cut the seatbelt from the victim, broke the steering wheel to free the man's leg and pulled the victim onto the bank for safety. Lt. Paul Greiner received a rotator cuff injury during the rescue.