A Louisiana State Police trooper and a nurse came to the rescue of a choking child along a highway in St. Tammany Parish last week.
Trooper Eric Thaxton was traveling eastbound on Interstate 12 shortly after 1 p.m. on Jan. 29 when he noticed a panicked man running on the shoulder holding an unresponsive infant, according to a department news release.
As Thaxton pulled up to the scene, Jennifer Harper, an off-duty registered nurse with St. Tammany Parish Hospital happened to be in the area and stopped to assist.
Thaxton and Harper took the child and quickly determined the child was choking.
Upon examining the child's airway, they were both able to remove obstructions, which were later determined to be pieces of food. Once the obstructions were removed, the child remained lethargic and somewhat unresponsive.
Acadian Ambulance and the Goodbee Fire Dept. District #13 arrived on scene and the child was transported to St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
The child is expected to make a full recovery.
