Mass. woman brain dead after NYC heroics

NEW YORK -- A Swampscott woman who was critically injured in a hit-and-run accident in New York City has been declared brain dead.

Erinn Phelan, 22, is being called a hero after she pushed her former college roommate out of the way of a vehicle bearing down on them in Brooklyn, New York. The car sped off after the collision around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Phelan, a volunteer coordinator with the New York City mayor's office, remains on life support at a New York City hospital.

"It's a tragedy to... help a friend out and then get hurt yourself," said Casey Connolly, a Swampscott High School student.

Phelan and her friend, 23-year-old Alma Guerrero, who were both graduates of Brown University, were reportedly in a crosswalk on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn when they were both hit. Phelan sustained the worst of the injuries after shoving Guerrero out of harm’s way.

“I think it’s sad. She did the right thing though. She saved somebody else’s life,” said former Swampscott neighbor Kendra Young.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a native of Medford, Mass., tried to comfort Phelan’s parents when they arrived in New York. Phelan was hired last year to help run Mayor Bloomberg’s new NYC Civic Corps, to put others first.

"This young woman is a fighter. She's got a big heart, and though she's only been living here for a few short months, she's a New Yorker, and everyone in this city is pulling for her to get through this,” said Mayor Bloomberg.

New York’s mayor is asking for help in finding the hit-and-run driver, a young woman who abandoned her car and then took off.

7NEWS contacted Guerrero over the phone, but she was still too shaken up to talk about the accident.

“A lot of their friends are here. They’re coming in and out all day, and everyone’s really pulling for both of them,” said Ross Beckman, a friend of the two women.

Swampcott High School, where Phelan graduated in 2005, released a statement about the incident that read, in part: "She was an outstanding student and compassionate person and she will be missed by all."

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