SACRAMENTO, Calif.
--
A Fairfield highway patrol officer is being hailed as a hero after he saved the life of a child in distress Saturday.
Police said Officer Mike Blacklock was on patrol when he was flagged down by a passing motorist in the 2100 block of North Texas Street.
The motorist advised Blacklock that they were trying to get their 10-month-old son to the emergency room after they said they noticed him choking on something.
Blacklock, who said he noticed the child was blue and not breathing, called medic units and began providing CPR. Blacklock was able to free the child's airway of the obstruction and the child began to breathe on his own.
"Had Officer Blacklock not taken the time to assess the child and provide emergency treatment on the scene, the additional delay of driving to the hospital may very well have caused irreparable damage to the child," Fairfield police Lt. Bunting said.
An ambulance arrived shortly after to provide additional care and it was later determined that the child had been chewing on a plastic lid when a small piece of the lid broke off and became lodged in the child's throat closing the airway.
Officials said Blacklock was recommended for the Fairfield Police Department's Life Saving Medal
Copyright 2008 by KCRA.com. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
redistributed.