There is not much a police officer hasn’t seen in his line of work, so when you pull over a speeding car you never know what you are to expect.
Being on guard for any scenario is an important survival tool for law enforcement personnel.
But one officer never thought his preparedness and quick response was going to save the life of a struggling infant.
Inside Edition reports:
“Berkeley County Sheriff’s Deputy William Kimbro was on routine patrol when a vehicle sped by him in the town of Summerville, authorities said. He gave chase, thinking he was making a routine traffic stop.”
When the vehicle pulled over, Officer Kimbro made his way toward the two women that were sitting in the front seat.
Alarmed at the commotion and sudden movement by the woman in the passenger seat, Kimbro was on guard.
But what she held up was not a weapon, or even her license and registration, but a 12-day-old baby girl named Riley- and she was in trouble.
Body cam footage caught the whole miraculous event, as the deputy quickly took the small child.
The deputy first tried patting her stomach and then laid Riley on her frightened mother’s lap to massage her chest.
“C’mon, baby,” the officer encouraged the little girl, “C’mon baby, c’mon.”
How did such a small baby begin choking? Her story begins in a well-known situation by mothers everywhere.
Yearning to take a shower, the mother had snuck off really quick while Riley laid down in her bassinet for a nap.
The stepmother was in the home as well to check in on the sleeping baby.
At first glance the baby appeared to be sleeping well, and then only a moment later little Riley appeared to be choking.
Not knowing what to do to save the struggling infant, the stepmother raced off to the hospital with Riley and her mom in the passenger seat.
Kimbro was not getting a good response rubbing her chest, so he is seen checking her mouth with his fingertips for any obstruction that could be blocking the baby’s airways.
“Please open those eyes, sweetheart,” you can hear the officer say as he desperately tries to find out what is wrong with Riley.
Officer Kimbro told Inside Edition what was going through his mind in those pivotal moments:
“The whole time I was thinking to myself, do not let this baby die in front of her mother and her grandmother. Just don’t.”
Just when things were looking bleak, Riley gave a loud confirmation cry that she was going to be okay.
“As long as she’s crying, she’s breathing,” Kimbro tells the emotional women in that heart-pounding moment.
The baby was not completely out of the woods yet. She still had a bluish tint to her skin from lack of oxygen and was not breathing regularly.
It must have felt like hours had gone by when the paramedics finally arrived, taking over the child fighting for her life.
Kimbro fills the paramedics in on how Riley had choked on milk, and all the measures he had taken to get her to breathe again.
“She’s going to be good,” the officer warmly tells Riley’s mother who was shook up from the ordeal.
“I can feel that heart. It’s good now.”
The sheriff’s department is proud of Kimbro’s calm and quick response, posting his praises on under the body cam footage that was made public on the department’s Facebook page.
“Because of deputy Kimbro’s steadfast, professional and heroic response, the 12-day-old baby was able to live,” the department said.
The humble officer said, “I’m just glad little Riley is just flourishing.”
Babies have such tiny airways, and practically no knowledge of how to clear them if they have any issues.
Knowing how to check for an obstruction, dislodge an object from the airway, and perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can save your child’s life.
Officer Kimbro knew what he needed to do in the moment and worked tirelessly to ensure baby Riley stayed alive to tell her story.
Please let us know in the comments section what you think about Kimbro’s response, and if you ever had to open up a baby’s airways before.