ACWORTH, Ga. — An Acworth Police officer is being praised for her swift actions to help a driver choking on a water bottle cap.
The driver, identified as Steven Williams, pulled over in the area of New McEver Road and Acworth Industrial Drive Wednesday morning and called 911 to report a medical emergency.
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Cpl. Tamara Severtson and a police recruit responded to scene, which was just down the road from the Acworth Police Department.
“When we got there, we found Mr. Steven Williams with the bottle cap lodged in is airway. He was unable to breath, he started turning purple and obviously was very panicked.” said Cpl. Severtson.
Servertson grabbed her portable airway clearance device called LifeVac. It uses a mask and vacuum chamber to dislodge and extract an airway obstruction.
“We were able to get him on the ground, and I was able to use my LifeVac system to dislodge the bottle cap from is airway. He was able to get it out.” said Cpl. Severtson.
Severtson told Channel 2’s Tom Regan that she bought two of the devices on her own and kept one at home in case her child’s airway became blocked.
Channel 2 Action News previously reported when Severtson used her personal LifeVac while responding to a nursing home.
“She was wheelchair bound so the Heimlich Maneuver wouldn’t work for her. We we able to get her on her back as well, used the suction device, and once I got a good seal, it came out.” said Cpl Severtson.
The officer says the man she helped at the side of the road was grateful.
“He just kept saying, ‘Thank you. You saved my life. I truly believe God places us in certain place at certain times. And I think that was this situation for me.” said Cpl Severtson.
All officers at the Acworth Police Department now carry LifeVacs in their patrol vehicles. The devices is created with saving hundreds of lives across the U.S.
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