A New York State Police trooper helped save the life of a 6-year-old fevered, choking boy after the child's mother pulled off to the side of a highway and called 911.
Authorities say the 31-year-old mother called 911 screaming the evening of Jan. 3 but wasn't able to give officers information about her situation or location through her hysteria. Dispatchers isolated her location to somewhere near exit 25 on the Southern State Parkway and state troopers found her parked on the right shoulder there.
The woman was clutching her 6-year-old boy, saying he couldn't speak or breathe. Trooper Christopher Nolan realized the child had a blocked airway and put the boy on his back, then tilted his head to open the airway. The boy began to breathe, then starting vomiting, and Nolan worked to keep his airway clear until an ambulance arrived.
The mother said her son had been battling a serious case of the flu and had developed a fever of 107 degrees. She said she called 911 because he had just had a seizure and stopped breathing.
The boy was treated for several days at a hospital before being sent home and is expected to recover fully, authorities said.
