- Joined
- Aug 18, 2002
- Messages
- 250
From today's New York Post:
TRAGIC THROWING 'ERROR'
By JOSEPH MOLLICA
Christine Rivano was stabbed in the throat on her 24th birthday when her boyfriend flung a five-inch hunting knife that plunged in to her neck.
Yesterday she emerged from an induced coma and life-saving surgery to scribble a note to police saying, "It was an accident."
The family of the Seaford, L.I., woman says the boyfriend's story of accidentally throwing the hunting knife was "strange," but police let the man go after questioning.
The 23-year-old boyfriend, whose name was not released, told cops he and Rivano were throwing sticks for his dog to retrieve in Massapequa on Wednesday afternoon when he decided to take out a knife and throw that instead.
The blade lodged in Rivano's throat. Her boyfriend called for help and stayed at her side, sobbing.
Police had been unable to ask her how she was injured until yesterday.
That's when Rivano was taken out of a chemically induced coma following a life-saving transfusion and surgery to patch up her gashed windpipe and esophagus, her family said.
"They had to chemically paralyze her in order to give the body time to react to the surgery and to start the healing process," the victim's stepmother, Linda Rivano, said outside her home in Seaford.
She called the accident "kind of strange."
"We were told they were tossing a stick at the dog and that he took this knife out and tossed the knife and apparently the loop on the knife lodged on his finger and it hit her by accident," said Linda. "I don't understand, with the severity of the damage, how that's possible. Yesterday was her birthday. Not a good birthday present."
Both the victim and her boyfriend are out of work, Linda said.
"We only met him once. I know that he's not working at this point, either. Misery loves company."
Carol Lee, the victim's biological mom, said she believes the incident was an accident. She recounted how she confronted her daughter's boyfriend.
"I asked him what possessed him to take the knife out and he just stood there," Lee said.
"He said, 'I don't know where to begin.' He was very upset about it. He was hysterical."
Shocked commuters at the Massapequa LIRR station said they saw Christine running toward them for help with her hands clutching her throat.
The victim's dad, Glenn Rivano, was also skeptical of the version of events coming from the boyfriend, whom she had been dating for two years.
"It's kind of hard to buy that the knife went flying through the air and hit her. It's conceivable but the fact that he stuck around, I guess, makes it better," Glenn said.
"I've heard he can be a little peculiar but I think this is extreme.
"Honestly, it's more likely that he could be doing something as irresponsible as tossing a knife in public like that, rather than attacking her," he said.
"I have friends who have collected knives, too, but you don't toss them like that, especially with somebody standing nearby," Glenn added.
The distraught dad said police asked the boyfriend, "When you threw the knife, what did you expect the dog to do?"
"The details of this story are really murky right now," said Nassau Detective Lt. Kevin Smith.
The boyfriend "has his side but, obviously, we haven't been able to speak to her. It remains somewhat of a mystery."
TRAGIC THROWING 'ERROR'
By JOSEPH MOLLICA
Christine Rivano was stabbed in the throat on her 24th birthday when her boyfriend flung a five-inch hunting knife that plunged in to her neck.
Yesterday she emerged from an induced coma and life-saving surgery to scribble a note to police saying, "It was an accident."
The family of the Seaford, L.I., woman says the boyfriend's story of accidentally throwing the hunting knife was "strange," but police let the man go after questioning.
The 23-year-old boyfriend, whose name was not released, told cops he and Rivano were throwing sticks for his dog to retrieve in Massapequa on Wednesday afternoon when he decided to take out a knife and throw that instead.
The blade lodged in Rivano's throat. Her boyfriend called for help and stayed at her side, sobbing.
Police had been unable to ask her how she was injured until yesterday.
That's when Rivano was taken out of a chemically induced coma following a life-saving transfusion and surgery to patch up her gashed windpipe and esophagus, her family said.
"They had to chemically paralyze her in order to give the body time to react to the surgery and to start the healing process," the victim's stepmother, Linda Rivano, said outside her home in Seaford.
She called the accident "kind of strange."
"We were told they were tossing a stick at the dog and that he took this knife out and tossed the knife and apparently the loop on the knife lodged on his finger and it hit her by accident," said Linda. "I don't understand, with the severity of the damage, how that's possible. Yesterday was her birthday. Not a good birthday present."
Both the victim and her boyfriend are out of work, Linda said.
"We only met him once. I know that he's not working at this point, either. Misery loves company."
Carol Lee, the victim's biological mom, said she believes the incident was an accident. She recounted how she confronted her daughter's boyfriend.
"I asked him what possessed him to take the knife out and he just stood there," Lee said.
"He said, 'I don't know where to begin.' He was very upset about it. He was hysterical."
Shocked commuters at the Massapequa LIRR station said they saw Christine running toward them for help with her hands clutching her throat.
The victim's dad, Glenn Rivano, was also skeptical of the version of events coming from the boyfriend, whom she had been dating for two years.
"It's kind of hard to buy that the knife went flying through the air and hit her. It's conceivable but the fact that he stuck around, I guess, makes it better," Glenn said.
"I've heard he can be a little peculiar but I think this is extreme.
"Honestly, it's more likely that he could be doing something as irresponsible as tossing a knife in public like that, rather than attacking her," he said.
"I have friends who have collected knives, too, but you don't toss them like that, especially with somebody standing nearby," Glenn added.
The distraught dad said police asked the boyfriend, "When you threw the knife, what did you expect the dog to do?"
"The details of this story are really murky right now," said Nassau Detective Lt. Kevin Smith.
The boyfriend "has his side but, obviously, we haven't been able to speak to her. It remains somewhat of a mystery."
I'm just glad it wasn't a real blade 
.
:barf: 