Dramatic dashcam video captured a California Highway Patrol officer’s life-saving response on the side of a busy Southern California freeway.
California Highway Patrol Officer Casey Ramstead pulled over to help family members on the side of the busy 101 Freeway in Woodland Hills. A woman had called 911 from the minivan to report her baby was choking on a cherry.
CHP dashcam video posted to Twitter Monday shows the officer, who is a licensed paramedic, calmly open a door and saw the mother holding her baby in the back seat. He lifted the child out as another officer directs traffic.
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"I put my hands out, she handed me the baby," Officer Ramstead said. "I held him up. I was trying to look, listen and feel to see if there was any air exchange happening. I was listening to his back to see if I could hear anything.
"I didn't hear anything. Something was wrong, but I just didn't know how severe."
The officer can seen cradling the baby and slapping the baby’s back to clear the airway. A few seconds later, the cherry dislodged, allowing the baby to breathe normally.
It's not the first time Officer Ramstead has faced a life-or-death moment. In December 2017, he made a split-second decision that saved the life of a woman who was threatening to jump from a Pasadena overpass with her dog.
