Town of Babylon Supervisor Rich Schaffer, Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez and Councilmen Terence McSweeney and DuWayne Gregory recently presented Park Ranger Kenneth Sellers with a Heroism Award for his recent actions after arriving on the scene of a hit-and-run accident in North Babylon.
Sellers was on duty as he traveled down Old Deer Park Avenue and came across a badly-damaged vehicle that had been involved in a head-on collision. A drunk driver had swerved into oncoming traffic and struck a car driven by Deer Park resident Dennis Ryan before driving away. Emergency services had not yet arrived as an injured Ryan sat in his disabled vehicle in the middle of the road as cars passed by dangerously close. Park Ranger Sellers stopped his truck in traffic to shield Ryan’s vehicle from the traffic. He then checked on Ryan to assess his injuries and stayed with him until emergency services arrived.
“As I sat there, cars just drove right past me, no one stopped, until [Sellers] pulled up,” said Ryan during a ceremony on the steps of Babylon Town Hall. “On behalf of my family, I would like to sincerely thank you for your kindness in stopping, protecting me and making sure I was alright,” he added.
Supervisor Schaffer said he and the rest of the Town Board first learned of the incident when Ryan spoke at a recent Town Board meeting. “As soon as we heard the story, we knew we wanted to recognize Ken,” said Schaffer. “He’s been with us for a long time, and this is just the latest example of his commitment to helping people here in the Town of Babylon,” he added.
The Heroism Award is the highest honor given by the Town of Babylon, and Sellers is the first recipient in 2020.