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By Charles E. Ramirez
The Detroit News
MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. — A Macomb Township toddler found unresponsive after falling into her family’s swimming over the weekend is expected to make a full recovery thanks in part to two Macomb County Sheriff’s deputies and the township’s fire department who helped the child.
The incident happened at about 11 a.m. Saturday. First responders were called to a home in Macomb Township for a report of a toddler who was not breathing. The child’s mother told dispatchers she found her 2-year-old in the swimming pool. She also said the child’s father removed her from the pool and performed CPR, according to authorities.
“This type of situation is one of the worst a parent can experience,” said Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham in a statement.
In the 911 call released Monday by the sheriff’s department, the child’s mother frantically pleads for help, at times screaming hysterically and difficult to understand.
“My daughter, she fell down into the pool,” the woman cried. “Please come and help me!”
At one point, a dispatcher instructs her to hand her phone over to her husband.
“Is your child breathing?” she asked. “Is his chest rising and falling?”
A man answers: “No. I just put air through the nose.”
Body-worn camera video released Monday shows two deputies, Jonathon Potocki and Mitchell Blount, rushing to get into the home and then quickly turning the unresponsive toddler over to perform CPR. Firefighters arrived and the deputies assisted them as they attended to the girl.
An ambulance was en route but delayed and the group decided to drive the toddler to a hospital in one of the deputy’s patrol vehicles, officials said. A firefighter rode along with the girl in the car and continued to perform life-saving measures.
Wickersham said when they got to the hospital, staff said the child was breathing and had a pulse.
Doctors had the child airlifted to a trauma center where she was listed in stable condition. On Monday, the sheriff said the girl’s parents told officials that she was released from the hospital and expected to make a full recovery.
“The responding deputies and fire personnel acted swiftly, ensuring the toddler received life-saving measures and hospital transportation as quickly as possible,” Wickersham said. “I applaud these public servants for their exceptional efforts.”
Twitter: @CharlesERamirez
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