Boston Herald photographer wins first place award for this photo of a Fallon Ambulance EMT rescuing a woman struck by a bus.

Braintree resident Michael Grazioso, an Emergency Medical Technician with Fallon Ambulance Service, got a lot more publicity than he first bargained for, when he stopped to help a woman who had been struck by a bus last summer.

It happened that Boston Herald photographer Jon Hill was on the scene at the time of the accident, and snapped a picture of Grazioso helping the injured woman. Not only did the photograph run in the Boston Herald soon after the accident occurred; the picture eventually won first place in a photo contest.

At this year's Boston Press Photographers Association awards ceremony, Hill's photo took first place in the Emergency Medical Service (EMS) category. Herald photographers won over 45 awards in the competition, more than double the amount of any other New England newspaper.

The photo, entitled "Grief," depicts Grazioso stabilizing a woman after she had been hit by an Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) bus at the corner of Dudley and Clarence streets in Roxbury, MA, last June. The woman had stepped out in between two cars and in front of the bus. The photo is particularly dramatic in that it captures the anguish on the face of a passer-by.

At the time of the accident, Grazioso and his partner were transporting a patient to a Boston hospital, for kidney dialysis treatment, when they saw the stopped MBTA bus and the crowd gathered around the downed woman. Grazioso rushed to assess and stabilize the woman while his partner called in the emergency. They stayed on the scene until Boston 911 arrived on the scene. The woman survived, suffering mainly from a cracked mouth palate.

"We were just doing our job," said Grazioso. "We saw an emergency situation and did what we could to keep the scene as stable as possible until further help arrived."

Peter Racicot, Senior Vice President of Business Development for Fallon Ambulance Service, said that it's not uncommon for EMTs and paramedics to be photographed in action, because of the dramatic nature of accident scenes. However, he said, this is the first time that a company EMT has ever been depicted in an award-winning photograph.

"Jon Hill's photograph is excellent. It speaks volumes about the importance of the work that EMTs do," Racicot said. "Emergency medical personnel can often literally make the difference between life and death. Jon's picture is a very dramatic portrayal of the kinds of situations that emergency medical personnel face each hour of each day."

He continued, "We thank the Boston Herald for selecting this picture for the competition. They have done more to raise public awareness of the role of EMTs and paramedics than they can possibly know. He added, "We are extremely proud of Michael's efforts, and our staff in general. Our EMTs and paramedics go that extra mile to help whenever they can."

Other Fallon Images