Ithaca Police Chief Credited with Saving Accident Victim’s Life

The Ithaca Police Chief has been credited with saving the life of an accident victim. Police responded to a two-car accident on Route 13 and Lower Creek Road in Ithaca on Thursday at about 2:40PM. Ithaca City Police Chief Pete Tyler was in the area and stopped to assist.  54-year-old Robert Gelinas of Ithaca was bleeding from the head and not breathing, when Tyler began life saving measures.  Gelinas was taken to the Ithaca Airport, where he was flown to Upstate Medical Center, where he remains in critical condition. The driver of the other vehicle, 24-year-old Jenna Swertfager of Dryden, was taken by ambulance to Cayuga Medical Center as a precautionary measure. The investigation revealed that Gelinas failed to yield the right of way when turning left.  He was also not wearing a seatbelt.  The investigation is still on-going.