Thursday, May 2, 2013
Henry “Leo” Stefanacci said he is embarrassed by the charges and is leaning on family and friends for support.
Seneca Valley teacher Henry “Leo” Stefanacci has been charged with Driving Under the Influence after the car he was driving plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek in Zelienople in March. Court records show Zelienople Police charged Stefanacci, a special education teacher at Seneca Valley Middle School, with DUI and careless driving in the March 3 crash. He is scheduled to appear May 7 before District Magistrate Wayne Seibel in Evans City on the charges. Stefanacci, of Zelienople, nearly died after the car he was driving skidded off Halstead Boulevard and landed upside down in the water. Firefighters trained in water rescue pulled him from the vehicle after four teens driving on the road noticed a car overturned in the creek and dialed 9-1-…
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Nicknamed the “Miracle Man” by doctors, Leo Stefanacci and his family head to the Zelienople Fire Department to thank the volunteers who saved his life.
As he let out his last yells for help and aimed another kick at his car door before slipping into unconsciousness, Henry “Leo” Stefanacci's thoughts were on his two young daughters. “It was them, right there,” he said, using his cane to point to Gianna, 12, and Carmen, 9. “I wanted to see them so bad.” Stefanacci’s girls and his wife, Kelly, all were with him Tuesday as he paid a visit to the Zelienople Volunteer Fire Department to personally thank volunteers who jumped into the Connoquenessing Creek the night of March 3 to pull him from his submerged car—saving his life. “These are true heroes,” he said as he bestowed hugs on several firefighters. A popular learning support teacher at Seneca Valley Middle School in Jackson Township, …
40.78754
-80.144149
Zelienople Boro Fire Department
615 W Beaver St, Zelienople, PA
/articles/after-the-accident-seneca-valley-teacher-says-near-drowning-made-him-a-believer
1249997
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Friday, March 15, 2013
Four teenage firefighters discovered Leo Stefanacci’s car in the water March 4. The learning support teacher now is on the road to recovery.
Seneca Valley teacher Henry “Leo” Stefanacci is thanking his supporters after the car he was driving plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek March 4, leaving him in critical condition. “I'm alive and well by the grace of God and the power of prayer!! I want to thank everyone and anyone for everything!!!” Stefanacci wrote in the comment section of a Cranberry Patch article updating readers on his condition. A popular learning support teacher at Seneca Valley Middle School, Stefanacci was driving north on Halstead Boulevard in Zelienople when he lost control of the car at a bend in the road and skidded into the water. His upside-down car was discovered submerged in the creek by four teenage volunteer firefighters who drove by and noticed …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Leo Stefanacci’s wife, Kelly, thanks four teenage firefighters for discovering the car—and saving her husband’s life.
Seneca Valley teacher Henry “Leo” Stefanacci is expected to make a full recovery after the car he was driving plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek in Zelienople Sunday night. “I really do believe the prayers are working,” said Kelly Stefanacci, Leo Stefanacci’s wife. “He’s not out of the woods yet, but he’s much more alert today.” Kelly Stefanacci said her husband, a popular learning support teacher at Seneca Valley Middle School in Jackson Township, is suffering from hypothermia, but does not have any damage to his heart or brain. He remains in the critical care unit at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, she said. A father of two daughters, Stefanacci, a Zelienople resident, was flown by medical helicopter to the hospital after …
Owner was a work while fire spread through the home.
Fire destroyed a cottage on the banks of the Connoquenessing Creek in Forward Township Tuesday. Evans City Area Fire Capt. Brian Greenawalt said firefighters were called to the home on Horseshoe Lane off Route 528 at about 9:45 a.m. When firefighters arrived in the area, flames already were shooting through the roof of the one-story building, he said. Firefighters were able to prevent the fire from spreading to a pickup truck parked in the driveway of the cottage. Greenawalt said the cause of the fire is still undetermined, but does not appear to be suspicious. The blaze is believed to have started in the corner of a back room on the first floor of the home, he said. A neighbor said Kraig Martin, who was at work when the fire broke out, …
40.807404
-80.057976
129 Horseshoe Ln, Evans City, PA
/articles/fire-destroys-cottage-on-connoquenessing-creek
/locations/8947442
Leave your well wishes for learning support teacher Leo Stefanacci in the comment section below.
A Seneca Valley teacher remains hospitalized Tuesday after the car he was driving plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek Sunday evening. As of 10:30 p.m. Monday, Henry “Leo” Stefanacci was in the ICU unit at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh, a hospital spokeswoman said. A married father of two daughters, Stefanacci, a Zelienople resident, was flown by medical helicopter to the hospital after firefighters pulled him from his vehicle, which was submerged upside down in the creek near the canoe launch in Zelienople. Seneca Valley spokeswoman Linda Andreassi said Stefanacci, who is known by Leo, is a special education teacher at the Seneca Valley Middle School in Jackson Township. "We were saddened to learn this morning of his car accident and …
Monday, March 4, 2013
The 48-year-old is in critical condition at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh.
Zelienople police have identified the driver who plunged into the Connoquenessing Creek Sunday night. Police Chief Jim Miller said 48-year-old Henry Stefanacci is in critical condition at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh. The Zelienople resident was flown by medical helicopter to the hospital after firefighters rescued him from his vehicle, which was submerged upside down in the creek near the canoe launch. Seneca Valley spokeswoman Linda Andreassi said Stefanacci, who is known by Leo, is a special education teacher at the Seneca Valley Middle School in Jackson Township. "We were saddened to learn this morning of his car accident and extend our thoughts and prayers to him for a full recovery," Andreassi said. Miller said Stefanacci was …
Passing motorists call 911 after noticing the car submerged in the water, according to the Zelienople fire chief. Click the video to watch as the car is towed from the creek.
Firefighters pulled a man from an overturned car immersed in the Connoquenessing Creek off Halstead Boulevard in Zelienople Sunday evening. Zelienople Fire Chief Rob Reeb said the driver was conscious when firefighters from Team 300, Butler County’s water rescue team, pulled him from the water. Reeb did not identify the man. “He was conscious and yelling for help when we arrived,” Reeb said. The man was flown by helicopter to a Pittsburgh hospital, the chief said. Reeb said firefighters responded after passing motorists noticed car tracks in the snow leading to the creek and called 9-1-1. When firefighters arrived on the scene, they did not see footprints near the banks of the creek, Reeb said. The overturned car was almost completely …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
About 65 people take a dip into the Connoquenessing Creek for this year’s polar plunge.
Now, that’s how to welcome in a New Year. On Tuesday, about 65 people took a dip in the Connoquenessing Creek as part of the Friends of the Zelienople-Harmony Park’s second annual Polar Bear Plunge. Called “Freezin’ for a Reason,” the plunge benefits Harmony’s parks as well at the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company. After a warm-up at the Historic Harmony Inn in Harmony, the plungers headed to the canoe launch at the end of Jackson Street in Harmony around 1 p.m. to take turns running into the creek. Many of the plungers wore costumes. Casey Moyer, a member of the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company, said her friend Rachel Hinkle won “best dressed” in the event’s costume contest for plunging into the water while dressed as an old lady. The Harmony …
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Proceeds from the event benefit local parks and the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company.
Here’s one (cold) way to dip into 2013. On New Year’s Day, the Friends of the Zelienople-Harmony Park will hold its second annual Polar Bear Plunge. Called “Freezin’ for a Reason,” the plunge benefits Harmony’s parks as well at the Harmony Volunteer Fire Company. The event begins at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 1 with a warm-up at the Historic Harmony Inn in Harmony. The plunge will take place at 1 p.m. at the canoe launch at the end of Jackson Street in Harmony. If you register online before Dec. 28, the cost is $23 per person. On the day of the event, the cost is $25 per person. All plungers will recieve a T-Shirt. There also will be prizes for "Best Costume" and for the team that raises the most funds. For the online application, click here. …
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-80.12682
The Historic Harmony Inn
230 Mercer St, Harmony, PA
/articles/get-freezin-for-a-reason-with-harmony-polar-plunge
2110022
/locations/8445004
Jessica Sinichak
3:48 pm on Thursday, May 2, 2013
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