Rancho Cucamonga deputy goes above and beyond to save baby's life
While on the I-210 Freeway in Upland, Larheimy and Marcus Childress unexpectedly had the scare of their lives when their 1-year-old son Ashton, who was battling a bad cold and coughing up phlegm, suddenly stopped breathing.
"He started closing his eyes, holding his head, like not fighting," said Larheimy. "It was the worst feeling."
Ashton's condition sent her into an absolute panic and started screaming at her husband to call 911 and pull over.
Luckily, as they exited the freeway they spotted a Rancho Cucamonga Police Department patrol car sitting on Carnelian Avenue. Deputy Todd Seckrater was sitting in his patrol car helping move traffic along for the Thoroughbred Holiday Lights when the terrified parents flagged them down.
"They did," said Seckrater. "I went over there and he said 'Here you go.' I was like 'Okay, this is the real deal. Let's do it.'"
Seckrater knew right away that this was a life-or-death situation.
"I put my hand in front of his face and couldn't feel that warm breath," he said. "At that point, I knew he wasn't breathing. His eyes were kind of rolling back in his head."
Seckrater got down on the ground, turned little Ashton over on his knee and gave him a few swift blows on his back.
"Eventually he vomited everything out," Seckrater said. "He started just realizing where he was."
The deputy added that Ashton calmed down after seeing his father looking back at him.
The Childresses thanked Seckrater for going above and beyond his call of duty, saving their young son's life.
"We would just like to thank Todd for being a caring person," Marcus said.
Seckrater said it meant the world to him that the family trusted him to take care of their son. Seckrater, a father himself, hopes that someone else out there would do the same thing for him.
