Solemn ceremony marks 20th anniversary of fatal Aquebogue ambulance crash

There were many tearful hugs among the approximately 100 family members, firefighters and EMTs who gathered Saturday at the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps on Osborn Avenue to remember the fateful afternoon two decades ago when 23-year-old Heidi Behr, a volunteer, and 30-year-old Bill Stone, a paramedic, were killed when their ambulance crashed into a tree at the intersection of Route 25 and Church Lane in Aquebogue.

After the ceremony began with the Pledge of Allegiance, a lone bagpiper played “Going Home.” Kimberly Pokorny, past president of RVAC, who said Ms. Behr is still one of her best friends 20 years later, organized the memorial service.  “On this day, they answered the call to serve the community they loved,” Ms. Pokorny told to the crowd. “We miss you, radio numbers 339 [Ms. Behr] and 503 [Mr. Stone]. Let’s have a moment of silence to reflect on their service, as the flag is lowered to half-mast.” 

Leading the attendees in a prayer of remembrance, Chaplain Richard McKay said, “Let’s share a quiet moment together in prayer with hearts that still grieve.”

During the wreath laying that followed, the parents of Ms. Behr and Mr. Stone stood next to the memorial dedicated to their late children as other family members placed blue and white roses there.

“We gather to celebrate two extraordinary individuals who paid the costs and consequences of this calling,” Ms. Pokorny said as the tribute continued. “Our Heidi is not forgotten because her spirit never left us. And Bill’s legacy is his strong presence in chaos. He had deep strength and compassion.”  She then urged everyone to look up as a Suffolk County Police Department helicopter made a circular flyover. “Let’s honor them from the ground and above.”

“It’s very difficult. There are so many memories,” said 92-year-old Dorothy Behr, Ms. Behr’s grandmother. “It’s always there in the background,” said her father, John Behr, a member of the Cutchogue Fire Department. “But I appreciate what Heidi’s brothers and sisters do to remember her.”

“Many people come up to me to say Heidi answered the call and took care of them. They say how sweet she was and that’s nice to hear,” said Ms. Behr’s mother, June Behr, adding that her daughter’s son, Jared, who was only 14 months old at the time of the accident, “is a constant reminder that she lives on.”

Mr. Stone’s mother, Anne Stone, said that several ambulances on Long Island have been named after her son, who she said will always be “Billy Boy” to her. “The world is missing out on a wonderful person,” Ms. Stone said.

Scores of EMTs, volunteer firefighters and other first responders from Riverhead, Cutchogue, Flanders, Central Islip and Hauppauge were on hand to pay their respects.

Ms. Behr and Mr. Stone had been riding in the back of the ambulance tending to a cardiac patient en route to Central Suffolk Hospital (now Peconic Bay Medical Center) on May 3, 2005. The ambulance driver reportedly swerved to avoid a dump truck that was turning left off Main Road. The driver and the patient, who were both strapped in, survived the crash.

Jake Phillips, chief of the Riverhead Volunteer Ambulance Corps, said Ms. Behr was a single mom taking care of her son and a very active volunteer. “Every time I get into an ambulance, I think about it,” he said. “There were a lot of policy changes because this was such a traumatic event in the State of New York. Now, we make sure people in the back of the ambulance are wearing seat belts.”

Ms. Pokorny, who has been working as an RVAC volunteer for nearly 30 years, remembered that neighboring first responders came to their aid following the accident, “They stepped up and covered our district for us,” she said.

The ceremony ended as the bagpiper played “Amazing Grace.”