Approaching an SUV Stopped With Hazard Lights On...Patrolling Officer Rescues 5-Year-Old Girl

Candy Expelled After Heimlich Maneuver

A police officer on patrol saved the life of a five-year-old girl who was choking on candy.

Provided by Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency

According to the Goyang Police Station on October 5, at around 12:50 p.m. on August 24, an SUV with its hazard lights on was stopped in the central safety zone of a road in Donae-dong, Deokyang-gu, Goyang City. The child's guardian had exited the driver's seat, holding the child and performing chest compressions. The child, whose face had turned pale, was foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.

At that moment, Sergeant Yang Juncheol from Doraeul District of Goyang Police Station, who was patrolling nearby, noticed the scene and stopped his patrol car. As he approached in a hurry, the guardian called out for help, saying, "The child was eating candy in the car and now she can't breathe."

After checking the child's condition, Sergeant Yang positioned his hands for abdominal thrusts and performed the Heimlich maneuver. The Heimlich maneuver is an emergency procedure in which forceful upward pressure is applied to the abdomen to expel food or foreign objects blocking the airway.

Although the child was unresponsive and her arms were limp, Sergeant Yang did not give up and continued emergency measures for about three minutes. After repeated abdominal thrusts, the candy was expelled from the child's mouth, and she soon began to cry and regained her breathing.

Sergeant Yang said, "As a father myself, I learned the Heimlich maneuver just in case, but I never expected to use it in a real-life situation. I am relieved that I was able to save the child safely."