Following horrific crash, Jamestown woman reconnects with her ‘hero’

JAMESTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Jamestown woman is counting her blessings after a terrifying accident on I-90 two months ago. During the tragic moment, one man showed what it means to be a part of the city of good neighbors.

In the early hours on Oct. 27, Alyssa Osman was traveling on the New York State Thruway from Buffalo back to her home in Jamestown. Osman fell asleep behind the wheel of her car, crashed into a guard rail and flipped her car multiple times, leaving her unconscious.

Fortunately, someone traveling on the thruway pulled over to help and was able to wake her up.

“That’s when everything really hit me,” said Osman. “I was looking around and that’s when I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just crashed my car.’ “

Osman told WIVB News 4 she doesn’t remember much about the crash itself, but she does remember the man who did everything he could to keep her awake.

That man was Adam Cornell, a retired military medic and current nurse in Buffalo. He saw a Ford Escape flipped upside down and called 911.

Cornell’s heroic actions didn’t stop there. He went over to the car and found Osman unconscious and knew he needed to use his medical training to help her.

“I tried to open up the door because I was trying to get her out of the car. Then I realized her arm was pinned underneath the car,” Cornell recalled. “Paramedics said they were on their way, so I went in the car and sat with her, asked her name, and tried to keep her calm.”

Osman sustained several severe injuries to her arm and hand. She also fractured her spine, broke several ribs, her shoulder blade, collarbone, and nose.

Osman was eventually transported by helicopter to UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa.

Despite having to recover from injuries to numerous parts of her body, Osman could not stop thinking about the man who stopped and helped her.

On Christmas Day, Osman put out a post on Facebook asking the community for help finding him. The post got over 1,000 shares. Within a day, the two were able to connect.

“If I help somebody, accepting the thanks is the hardest part,” said Cornell. “But it was so great to hear that she was doing well.”

Osman extended her gratitude to the man for keeping her calm in what she described as the scariest moment of her life. She said she is unsure if she would have been able to make it through without Cornell by her side.

“I just wanted to make sure he knew that I ended up being OK,” said Osman. “I can never forget him. He was literally like my hero.”

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Trina Catterson joined the News 4 team in 2024. She previously worked at WETM-TV in Elmira, a sister station of WIVB. See more of her work here.

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