Hero CHP Officer Saves Choking Infant Along Interstate 80 In Fairfield
FAIRFIELD (CBS SF) -- A California Highway Patrol Officer is being hailed for his actions during a medical emergency in Solano County involving an infant who was not breathing.
The incident happened along westbound Interstate 80 in Fairfield just west of Red Top Road on Saturday at around 6:15 p.m. The six-week-old infant was in a car with her mother and grandmother; the family had pulled over to call 911 saying the baby had something stuck in its throat.
CHP officers arrived and mother Mei'a Mays handed her daughter Ma'laya to Officer Paul Ramos. The girl was unresponsive and not breathing, according to the CHP.
"I immediately assessed the baby, saw that she was unresponsive, turned her over to delivery five back pats to dislodge whatever was blocking her airway," Ramos told CBS 13 Sacramento.
Ramos said during the incident he thought about his own five-month-old baby boy.
"For me, every life is precious especially because I have a little one at home now," Ramos told CBS 13. "So I just thought of the child as someone who is part of my family that I absolutely needed to take care of."
"Officer Ramos instantly reverted to his emergency medical training and was able to quickly dislodge an unknown obstruction from the child's airway," said a post on the CHP Solano Facebook and Twitter pages. "Due to Officer Ramos' heroic actions, the infant child recovered and began breathing on its own."
An ambulance responded and took both Mays and her baby to the hospital as a precautionary measure.
"This is my first child and this is my best friend the best thing that ever happened to my life, so I'm thankful for all of them that were quick respondents to this situation with my baby," Mays told CBS 13.
