HEMET: 3-week-old who stopped breathing brings swift response, infant OK
Officers arrived at the scene of a baby not breathing just one minute after the emergency was dispatched. Miguel Shannon/Epicenter News photo
HEMET – Details are still emerging, but reports of a 3-week-old that had stopped breathing brought an immediate response from Hemet Police and Fire officials Sunday, April 2. The infant, who was quickly resuscitated and transported to an area hospital in stable condition, had reportedly stopped breathing after choking on vomit.
The emergency brought a flood of police, firefighters, paramedics, a battalion chief, medics and others rushing to the aid of the infant.
City of Hemet Police and Fire personnel were dispatched to the Desert Palms mobile home park in the 1000 block of N. State Street in Hemet about 3:41 p.m., after a family member frantically called 911 to report the incident.
The caller told emergency dispatchers the infant was not breathing and not responding.
With firefighter and paramedics headed to the residence, officers from throughout the area began to respond to the location. The first officer arrived at the scene just one minute after the call was dispatched.
An EMT pokes his head in to check on the infant prior to being transported. Miguel Shannon/Epicenter News photo
Within moments, the officer updated that the infant was breathing and responding. The relief in the officer’s and dispatcher’s voices was clearly evident.
It was not immediately known if the child was resuscitated with assistance or recovered and began breathing again on it’s own.
Firefighter/paramedics and American Medical Response medics arrived within minutes and began evaluating the infant. Medics eventually transported the child by ground ambulance to Hemet Valley Hospital for further evaluation.
Tearful, clearly traumatized family members stood in the doorway as the infant left the area; however, the tiny victim appeared alert while being transferred to the waiting ambulance.
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This is a developing story. Additional information will be updated if it becomes available.
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Trevor Montgomery runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News and Anza Valley Outlook and also writes for Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg and breaking his back in an off-duty accident.
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center and Lake Elsinore Station, along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 26 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and has 13 children and 12 – soon to be 13 – grandchildren.