This is the moment a police officer pulls over a woman for running a red light, then saves her life using the Heimlich manoeuvre.
Public Safety Officer Jason Gates first thought the woman was trying to get out of a ticket, but quickly realised she was choking on some food.
Dashcam video footage from the incident in Kalamazoo, Michigan, shows Officer Gates asking the woman if she was okay, then giving a couple of back blows when he sees that she can’t breathe.
She is then seen sobbing and hugging the officer who saved her life by dislodging the sausage and biscuit sandwich from her throat.
Officer Gates said: ‘I'm sure this happens to police officers all the time, but rarely does this get caught on a dash cam.
‘I just feel like I did what I'm paid to do. I'm glad for her that I happened to be there.
‘I was not expecting the hug. She was relieved and I'm glad I was there for her.
‘For the first second or so I thought she might be trying to just get out of a ticket and then I realised she was in legitimate respiratory distress, so I tried to dislodge the item from her throat by just hitting her on the back.
‘When that didn't work, I got her out and I used the Heimlich for the first time in my nine year police career and it worked.’
The quick-thinking cop said he didn't intend to write the woman a ticket after she ran a red light at the 4100 block of South Burdick Street on Saturday August 9.
But it is fortunate for the driver that he did.
Officer Gates, who has been with Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety for three years, said it felt great that a traffic stop resulted in such a positive outcome.
‘Most of the time, traffic stops are negative for people, but it's something we have to do,’ he said.
‘It does keep people safe, not only in slowing people down and keeping traffic safe, but in rare instances like this.’
The entire encounter from the time he pulled the woman over to when she embraced him after he dislodged the sausage and biscuit from her throat took less than a minute.
Officer Gates said he was surprised how quickly it happened when he later watched the video recorded by his dash cam.
He said he has not heard from the woman since their encounter, but he wished her well.
She was not issued a ticket for the red light violation.
This was the first time he officer had encountered a medical situation during a traffic stop that required him to use his emergency medical training.
‘Even though I've never used it, I'm glad that I received that training and was able to use it successfully here,’ he said.
Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said: ‘While every incident doesn't result in saving someone's life, or make it in the news, they matter to the very people that are impacted by the service we provide.
‘We are certainly very proud of Officer Gates and thankful his quick thinking more than likely saved the woman's life.’
Public Safety Officer Jason Gates first thought the woman was trying to get out of a ticket, but quickly realised she was choking on some food.
Dashcam video footage from the incident in Kalamazoo, Michigan, shows Officer Gates asking the woman if she was okay, then giving a couple of back blows when he sees that she can’t breathe.
She is then seen sobbing and hugging the officer who saved her life by dislodging the sausage and biscuit sandwich from her throat.
Officer Gates said: ‘I'm sure this happens to police officers all the time, but rarely does this get caught on a dash cam.
‘I just feel like I did what I'm paid to do. I'm glad for her that I happened to be there.
‘I was not expecting the hug. She was relieved and I'm glad I was there for her.
‘For the first second or so I thought she might be trying to just get out of a ticket and then I realised she was in legitimate respiratory distress, so I tried to dislodge the item from her throat by just hitting her on the back.
‘When that didn't work, I got her out and I used the Heimlich for the first time in my nine year police career and it worked.’
The quick-thinking cop said he didn't intend to write the woman a ticket after she ran a red light at the 4100 block of South Burdick Street on Saturday August 9.
But it is fortunate for the driver that he did.
Officer Gates, who has been with Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety for three years, said it felt great that a traffic stop resulted in such a positive outcome.
‘Most of the time, traffic stops are negative for people, but it's something we have to do,’ he said.
‘It does keep people safe, not only in slowing people down and keeping traffic safe, but in rare instances like this.’
The entire encounter from the time he pulled the woman over to when she embraced him after he dislodged the sausage and biscuit from her throat took less than a minute.
Officer Gates said he was surprised how quickly it happened when he later watched the video recorded by his dash cam.
He said he has not heard from the woman since their encounter, but he wished her well.
She was not issued a ticket for the red light violation.
This was the first time he officer had encountered a medical situation during a traffic stop that required him to use his emergency medical training.
‘Even though I've never used it, I'm glad that I received that training and was able to use it successfully here,’ he said.
Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley said: ‘While every incident doesn't result in saving someone's life, or make it in the news, they matter to the very people that are impacted by the service we provide.
‘We are certainly very proud of Officer Gates and thankful his quick thinking more than likely saved the woman's life.’
Source : DailyMail
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