LAKE COUNTY — Amy Zingone-Goszulac, 30, was recognized Thursday by California Highway Patrol Clear Lake area Commander Greg Baarts and his staff for recent acts of heroism. Zingone-Goszulac was in the right place at the right time, not once, but twice.
Baarts expressed gratitude in the opportunity to commend a private citizen for self-less acts of bravery, stating it is a rare occasion that law enforcers are afforded such positive interaction with the people they serve. “The California Highway Patrol is honored to present you with the recognition of citizen”s service,” he said. “You are to be commended for your unselfish desire to render aid.”
On May 20 and again on June 1, Zingone-Goszulac came across solo vehicle collisions in which persons were trapped in their vehicles. Without regard for her own safety, she assisted in freeing a driver in one incident and a passenger in another incident. The first incident involved Zingone-Goszulac diving into the waters of Clear Lake in order to free the driver from the sinking vehicle.
“Both of these selfless acts of bravery made a difference in the outcome for all those involved by allowing them to receive prompt medical treatment for their injuries,” Baarts said.
Zingone-Goszulac said she is unsure what made her spring into action when she rescued the first victim from the sinking car. “There were a lot of people at the scene already but no one was in the water. I just kind of went into auto pilot,” she said. “I was thinking about how I could get to him under water; the doors were too submerged to get them open and I looked up and saw the back door. I grabbed it and the weight of the water pushed it back closed. As soon as I was able to get the door open and climbed in, it was like a river.
Zingone-Goszulac continued, “I braced myself on the back of the seat and shoved my hand in there and undid the button for the seatbelt. As soon as I got him out, I could hear the rush of the air and the car went down. It was crazy.”
Zingone-Goszulac said having grown up in Lake County, she was very familiar with the stretch of Highway 20 where the incident occurred and that she had always expected something like this would eventually happen. “I”ve gone through the scenario in my head my whole life,” she said. “Living here, it”s a reality. It was kind of like a test I”ve study for my all my life.”
Zingone-Goszulac said the victim tried to pay her for what she did but she asked him to pay it forward. “Him just standing there was reward enough for me. I told him to help someone else who needs it like I did. There”s not enough of that that goes on,” she said. “You know what is kind of cool? The guy I pulled out of the water went to high school with my grandma.”
Zingone-Goszulac said the second incident was much different. She and a friend were traveling on Sulphur Bank Drive because her friend had never taken the route before. “We came around the corner and I saw a man standing in the middle of the road,” she said. “I looked at my friend and said this can”t be happening. I felt like it was following me.”
In the second incident, a vehicle went down a steep hill and came to rest against a tree; a passenger was still in the vehicle when Zingone-Goszulac happened upon the incident. She said it was a struggle to help the man up the hill as both subjects were intoxicated.
Zingone-Goszulac said she is convinced things happen in threes. Just five days prior to the first incident, she and her husband rolled their own vehicle. They both escaped the crash uninjured, which she said led her to believe that guardian angels were watching over and continued to watch as she assisted others in the days that followed.
Zingone-Goszulac is the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, Amelie; she resides in Clearlake Oaks with her husband Ralph Zingone.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call directly at 994-6444, ext. 14.
