Two Leesburg police officers have been honored for saving the life of a choking infant.
Senior Officer Hobbs and Officer McClain responded in emergency mode to assist the nine-month-old infant who was choking on Feb. 2. The child’s desperate mother handed the infant to the officers.
McClain quickly placed the baby face down and held her while Hobbs delivered sharp blows with the palm of his hand to the area between the baby’s shoulder blades.
Hobbs also performed a mouth sweep with his fingers to remove food particles from the baby’s throat. These actions forced food particles to dislodge from the infant’s airway. The baby immediately began to breathe and cry. Due to the officers’ swift and decisive actions they were able to quickly clear the obstruction from the baby’s airway and bring relief to the baby as well as her mother.
For their efforts, the two officers were presented earlier this month with the Leesburg Police Department’s Lifesaving Award.