A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy is being hailed as a hero for saving the life of an 11-month-old who couldn’t breathe and lost consciousness after accidentally swallowing a coin.
The incident took place on May 31 during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Palmdale, which is about 60 miles north of Los Angeles.
Surveillance video released on Thursday by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department shows a panicked woman with a limp child in her arms running across a supermarket parking lot.
The mother is seen giving her son pats on the back in hopes of getting the boy to regain his breath.
She and another woman ran toward Palmdale Sheriff’s Station Deputy Cameron Kinsey, who was in the area doing routine patrol with his unit as protesters gathered at Marie Kerr Park.
‘Deputy Cameron Kinsey spotted the women coming his way, ran toward them, and met them in the parking lot,’ according to LASD.
‘An anxious mother handed her son to the deputy, who immediately recognized something was gravely wrong.
‘Deputy Kinsey assessed the child, administered a mouth sweep with his finger and dislodged vomit.’
The deputy turned the coin sideways to allow air to pass through the boy’s system.
Kinsey acted in the nick of time, as the boy by this point had turned a blueish color. The boy started crying and breathing again.
The video shows the two women and Kinsey’s colleagues with the LASD relieved after the boy began to breathe again and become alert.
The boy was transported to a local hospital for observation.
‘Mom did the right thing,’ Kinsey told the Antelope Valley Press.
‘She was quick-thinking and started patting him on the back to dislodge whatever he had stuck in there. I saw that.
‘I saw she was scared and kind of frantic, so I ran over and I grabbed the baby. At that point training just took over.’
The six-year LASD veteran added: ‘I checked his mouth to see if anything was blocking his airway, and called for the fire department because that’s their expertise.’
The boy was first rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital. From there, he was airlifted to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where he underwent surgery to remove a quarter that was lodged in his throat.
Kinsey’s actions likely saved the life of the boy. After LASD posted video of his heroism, Kinsey began fielding media requests for interviews from several news outlets.
‘I’ve never had anything like this before so it’s a little bit uncomfortable,’ Kinsey said.
3 окт 2024
