Sheriff's Deputy stops infant from choking, saves life

Imagine eating lunch with your friends just like any other day and then a baby starts choking.

"I was just sitting there, and I heard a mother yell my babies choking," Chautauqua County Sheriff's Deputy, Adam McAdoo, said.

On Monday, an 8-month-old infant girl was choking on a piece of food in the Mayville Diner in Mayville.

All of a sudden, McAdoo had to jump into action.

"And ran over took the baby from the mother (and) proceeded to do some EMT Heimlich maneuver," McAdoo said. "(I) didn't really have time to think. It's kind of a lot of things with this job you just have to react."

Waitress Robyn Ptak noticed the baby and notified McAdoo.

"I looked over at the guys said that baby choking they got up went over there," Ptak said.

Officer McAdoo said it was a coincidence he was even there at the restaurant. He said he doesn't go to the restaurant very often. What's more, is he was taking an unusually early lunch break because he normally works nights.

"I just happened to be working day shift probably my first one in years came in here with a couple of guys and it was just right place at the right time," he said.

Ptak said she thinks it was more than just a coincidence, though.

"Maybe it was meant to be, maybe he was meant to be here at that point," Ptak said.

7 Eyewitness News tried reaching out to the mother of the child but she was unavailable today.

Helping a choking baby can be difficult, but there's two important steps McAdoo says you need to take.

"The heads got to go below the body in a downward angle, and you got to do back thrusts. It's kind of an unnatural feeling. You got to really give them a good thump," McAdoo said.
 

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