LOCKPORT, N.Y. — Just over a month ago, the hope was just that Sergeant Station Commander Salvatore "Sam" Mattina would live after a life-threatening crash on State Route 93 in Youngstown.
But Sunday afternoon in a Lockport parking lot, Mattina fought for the lives of others.
Mattina and his family held a blood drive Sunday to collect donations and give back to the community in a way that helped save his life.
On Sept. 13, the New York State Trooper was surveying the road for an upcoming motorcycle ride when he was seriously injured in a motorcycle crash, T-boned a car that failed to yield.
He was then rushed to a hospital where he underwent multiple life-saving surgeries for a brain bleed and multiple complex fractures, relying on blood transfusion to survive.
Mattina, who was in attendance at the blood drive Sunday but not yet ready to speak with the media, was released from Erie County Medical Center last week and is getting better by the day, his fellow troopers told 2 On Your Side.
“He's in great shape mentally,” said Jon Lupo, a former New York State Police officer who is now the vice president-elect for the New York Chapter 4 of the Blue Knights Law Enforcement Motorcycle Club. “He is healing quickly.”
Mattina’s focus now is not just on returning to the force, but on helping those who helped him. The ConnectLife bus was on scene Sunday and collected 62 donations, far surpassing the goal. Those donations are enough to impact 162 lives across Western New York.
“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on Earth, so that's what we're ultimately doing,” Trooper Justin Wright said. “He just has that warrior mentality. The trooper mentality is just to get knocked down, get back up, just have that positive mindset, just to continue in life.”
A GoFundMe has also been created for Mattina. The link can be found here.