SARANAC LAKE — State Police have identified a man from Florida who was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash on state Route 3 on Friday and are searching for the driver of a car involved in the collision who they say fled the scene.

According to State Police spokeswoman Brandi Ashley, Jon M. Grady, 57, of Hudson, Florida, was traveling on the major road when he struck the rear of an unknown vehicle near the Second Pond state boat launch and was ejected from his motorcycle.

Ashley said Grady was airlifted to the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlingyon for “life threatening injuries.” On Tuesday afternoon, hospital spokesperson Phillip Rau said Grady was listed in “critical condition.”

Lake Placid resident Scott Patnode said he was driving behind the motorcycle when the crash happened, saw the whole crash unfold and was one of the first responders to the scene.

Patnode said they were traveling south on state Route 3, leaving Saranac Lake. Everyone was spaced out well and traveling at around 60 mph. But when they crested the last hill before the bridge, there was a car stopped in the middle of the lane, waiting to turn left into a small gravel parking area before the bridge on the Saranac Lake side, he said.

A car in front of the motorcycle attempted to pass around this stopped car on the right-hand side, Patnode said, but stopped when they got too close to the guardrail.

He said he saw the brakes on the motorcycle lock up as Grady reacted to the unexpected stoppage. The bike fishtailed, went sideways and flipped twice before Grady separated from the bike, Patnode said. Grady slammed into the back of the car that had stopped to make the turn and slid underneath the bottom of the car.

Patnode said he was shocked to see that car, an older, white four-door sedan, start to drive away, rolling Grady, potentially running over his leg and tearing off a plastic fuel tank flashing in the process.

“They probably did more damage to the poor guy,” he said, adding that he saw the two people inside react to Grady crashing into the rear.

A Whiteface ski patrol member and soccer coach for 10 years, Patnode immediately ran over to Grady.

Patnode said Grady was dressed properly with jeans and a leather jacket, so he didn’t have road rash, but he was wearing an open-face helmet. He said there was a pool of blood coming from Grady’s nose. He was breathing but gurgling, Patnode said.

He started talking to Grady, telling him, “Stay still. We’re going to help you.”

A man came over who said he was an EMT. Patnode grabbed a first-aid kit he always keeps in his car and they started cutting Grady’s clothes off.

There is no cell service on this stretch of road, and someone had to drive closer to town to call 911.

Patnode said the white car Grady crashed into ended up driving away.

“I couldn’t believe they left the scene,” he said.

Ashley said it is a crime to leave the scene of a crash. If the police find the driver of the car who fled the scene, she said they will be issued a traffic ticket or hit with a criminal charge, depending on the condition of the injured person.

Patnode said nurses and other EMTs showed up. They assessed that Grady had a pulse of 36 beats per minute, very low. He was not responding or speaking.

At one point, Patnode said Grady stopped breathing for around 30 seconds. They rolled him onto his back and the EMT rubbed his chest when Grady started breathing again.

State Police showed up with a defibrillator, but the machine said no shock was needed and his heart was doing fine.

Patnode said he’s been worried about Grady. Seeing the crash was “unnerving” and he wants to know Grady survived and can recover.

Patnode felt the crash was nobody’s fault, and that it was just a bad situation.

“Even when you do everything right, bad things can happen,” he said.

–

Road closure and numerous emergencies

–

The crash led to a major emergency response Friday afternoon as Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake firefighters shut down the main travel corridor between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake for a LifeNet helicopter to land on the road near the bridge to transport Grady to the hospital.

Saranac Lake Volunteer Fire Department Head Driver Rick Yorkey said the crash happened around 1:10 p.m. The road was closed on both ends by firefighters as State Police took measurements to analyze the scene. State Route 3 reopened four-and-a-half hours later.

Traffic was rerouted to a less-traveled route through Fish Creek. Shortly after this, a crash was reported on state Route 30 near Follensby Clear Pond in the Fish Creek area. The TLVFD and Tupper Lake Volunteer Ambulance and Emergency Squad responded to this crash.

TLVFD Chief Royce Cole said a FedEx van driver swerved to miss deer in the roadway and the van overturned on its side in a ditch. There were no injuries, Cole said.

There was also a reported two-car crash on the corner of St. Bernard Street and River Street shortly after that.

The Lake Placid Volunteer Ambulance Service responded to this crash.

During this time, the Saranac Lake Volunteer Rescue Squad was also responding to a medical emergency call at Paul Smith’s College.

This high volume of calls at one time stretched emergency services in the Tri-Lakes thin on Friday afternoon, with other departments standing by in case there were any more emergency calls.