Off-Duty M&R Engineer Comes to the Aid of an Accident Victim

One weekend afternoon in late-September, Robert Kranik, regional chief engineer for New York, was off duty, running errands in his New Jersey suburb when he saw a car strike and seriously injure a motorcyclist. With knowledge gained during his earlier career as a nurse, he reacted quickly and stopped to aid the injured rider.

“I had been taught as a child that you help people in distress when you can,” said Robert. “The motorcyclist was on the ground, blood pooling around him. He remained conscious, but was not in good shape.”

Alarmed by the continuing loss of blood, Robert fashioned his belt into a tourniquet and used it to slow the flow of blood to the motorcyclist’s injured leg. Robert stayed at his side until emergency medical personnel and police arrived.

“I kept talking to him to deflect his attention from the accident, fearing he could go into shock,” Robert said. “He asked me to help call his wife, which I gladly did.”

The ambulance crew told Robert that his efforts saved the young man’s leg and, possibly, his life. The driver of the car that struck the motorcycle remained at the scene, at first seeming disoriented, then becoming very emotional.

Robert had joined M&R as an engineer in 2021, working first at the Holiday Inn New York City – Times Square and then the DoubleTree by Hilton Times Square West before being named  regional chief engineer, responsible for the maintenance and condition of a number of the company’s hotels.

Robert is one of three regional chief engineers, reporting to Anthony Cirillo, vice president, engineering/construction. Noting Robert’s willingness to jump in when there’s an emergency, Joseph DeCoro, another regional chief engineer, said “If you know Robert, that’s who he is.”