BROOKSVILLE, Fla. — A trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol performed a heroic act after he helped save the life of an 8-month-old baby from choking Sunday evening in Brooksville, authorities say.
Shortly after 6 p.m., Trooper Billy Ortiz finished his shift and arrived at his home in Brooksville when he was flagged down by a 25-year-old man driving fast in a pickup truck and honking the horn, FHP said in a news release.
The man reportedly stopped his truck when he saw Ortiz and began yelling that the infant was choking. That's when Ortiz started to help save the infant's life alongside a passerby who was a retired nurse, but both could not clear the infant's throat to stop the choking, law enforcement says.
Troopers say Ortiz immediately then took the infant and nurse in his patrol car to Oak Hill Regional Hospital where medical staff was able to save the infant's life.
"The Trooper’s rapid and decisive actions were credited with saving the infant’s life," FHP stated in the news release.
Authorities say the infant was choking from what was found to be a plastic wrapper.