Baby's life saved by hero Selby copper
A one-year-old baby's life was saved this week by the quick thinking of a Selby copper, it has emerged.
Selby
The drama unfolded on Saturday afternoon on Bawtry Road when the patrolling officer spotted a distressed woman run from a house on nearby Reginald Terrace.
She was waving frantically and shouting to the officer clutching her limp child. The officer, PC Tony Morton, quickly went to the woman’s aid and set in motion a series of events that were to save the baby's life.
PC Morton explains, “It was a wet afternoon and as I came to the junction of Bawtry Road, I saw a young woman emerge from a house waving and shouting frantically at anyone who was passing. She appeared to be holding what at first glance looked like a rag doll.
“I went over to help and when I saw baby Harry my heart sank, he was floppy, grey, his lips had turned blue and his eyes had rolled into the back of his head.
“I sat the lady and baby down in the back of the van while at the same time, made an urgent radio call for an ambulance. I checked for a pulse but there was none.
“Being acutely aware that there is very little time before brain damage starts to occur due to lack of oxygen, I knew I could not wait for an ambulance.
“I quickly remembered the training we had been given and the ABC (airwave, breathing, circulation) of first aid when dealing with such a situation and dealt with the problem facing me as I knew time was of the essence.
“I managed to calm Harry’s mum down and got her involved. I loosened Harry’s clothing and began to lightly massage his chest while at the same time blew small breaths into his mouth.
“After a few breaths his eyes started to move and he miraculously began breathing on his own. I was amazed at how quickly he came round and within a few minutes he was wearing my yellow woolly hat and was wrapped in my police jacket.”
Paramedics arrived shortly afterwards and thanked the officer for his quick thinking, telling him he had saved baby Harry’s life.
Harry’s mum, Ruth Travis, later hand-delivered a card and chocolates to Selby police station to thank PC Morton for his actions. She said, “I thought he was dead, although I am first aid trained, I was in shock and my first thought was to get help. I flagged Tony down and he rubbed Harry’s chest, it felt like forever but he started breathing again and it was such a relief.
“I am very grateful to Tony and I feel lucky that he was there at the right time.”
PC Morton's heroic actions were praised by the force's Chief Inspector Mark Khan who said, “Tony acted in the best traditions of the police service and is a credit to North Yorkshire Police. The incident could so easily have ended in tragedy and we could have been facing a very different and difficult situation.”
PC Morton added, “I am only too glad that I was in the right place at the right time and was able to help baby Harry and his mum.”
Harry, who had just celebrated his first birthday, was taken to York District Hospital where it was found that he had suffered a fit which had been induced by a high fever. He is now fit and well and back at home.