ENGLEWOOD, Fla. — A Florida sheriff’s deputy says he was just doing his job when he rushed to the aid of a mother and her toddlers and babies in a car crash and performed chest compressions on the child until the baby was breathing again.
Charlotte County Deputy Sgt. Dave Musgrove’s exploits on the night of February 8 were captured on body camera footage.
The deputy was driving on a state highway near Englewood when a motorcycle passed him at an estimated speed of more than 100 miles, the sheriff’s office said in a Feb. 16 news release. Seconds later, a camera in the officer’s vehicle captured a flash of light as the motorcycle crashed into another vehicle.
When he arrived on scene, Musgrove opened a rear passenger door and pulled the toddler from a booster seat. He stopped a passerby, handed the child to him and then walked back to the car.
The motorcyclist was dead and pinned on top of the child, who was in a car seat. With the help of other drivers, Musgrove moved the motorcyclist and cut a seat belt to remove the car seat.
The baby wasn’t breathing. In the body camera footage, her mother frantically asks if she is still alive. Musgrove performs chest compressions until the baby starts breathing again.
“The actions of Sgt. Musgrove is to be commended,” Sheriff Bill Prummell said in a statement. “His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child.”
The mother, Kayleigh Foley, told WBBH in Fort Myers that Musgrove is a hero to the family.
“He’s such a genuine person,†she said.
According to WBBH, her daughter was in intensive care in a hospital in St. Petersburg with a brain injury.
At a news conference, Musgrove downplayed his efforts.
“Anyone who has gone through the same training as us would do the same thing,” he said.