Watch Texas Police Officer Save Choking Motorist on Roadside

The quick actions by a Mansfield police officer saved the life of a motorist who began choking on a piece of a gum while driving, and the incident was captured by the officer's dashboard camera.

Joe Vince

Feb. 5, 2024

A Texas police officer's quick actions saved the life of a motorist who was choking while driving along an interstate last month.

The incident happened Jan. 13 when Mansfield Police Officer Chad Stevens noticed a vehicle traveling in the left lane of Interstate 20 with hazard lights on, the department stated in a social media post. Pulling up behind the vehicle, Stevens got out of his cruiser and saw that the driver was showing signs of distress, coughing as if she was choking and holding her neck.

Stevens immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver on the driver, and he was able to dislodge a piece of gum that was causing her to choke. Stevens' life-saving efforts were captured on his cruiser's dashboard camera.

The driver told police that she began choking when she breathed in quickly after another vehicle had entered her lane.

"Struggling to breathe for several minutes, she was relieved to find an officer nearby to flag down for help," the department stated.

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.