SCOTT COUNTY, Ind. -- A newly purchased piece of equipment helped a sheriff's deputy save a child's life in southern Indiana last week.
According to the Scott County Sheriff's Office, Deputy Kyle West responded on Nov. 29 to a call for a 2-year-old boy struggling to breathe. The deputy arrived on the scene and found the child's parents at the end of their driveway performing "back slaps and stomach thrusts" that did not appear to make a difference to the child's condition.
Deputy West proceeded to use a LifeVac Suction Device to remove a piece of chocolate and a portion of a Christmas ornament from the child's airway. Scott County Emergency Services subsequently arrived on the scene and transported the child to Scott Memorial Hospital for medical evaluation, SCSO said.
“It is extremely gratifying to save a life, especially a young child, and to have the necessary equipment needed to do so within arm’s reach. I, and the parents of this child, are thankful I had the LifeVac Device with me to help their precious boy," West said.
Scott County EMS, Scottsburg Fire and Rescue and the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department also assisted at the scene.