NC state trooper credited with saving infant’s life after pulling family over
A North Carolina couple believe a recent traffic stop saved their infant’s life.
Derrick Stroud and his fiancée Victoria O’Neal were pulled over by a NC State Highway Patrol trooper when Stroud said he was driving almost 100 mph on Highway 148 to get his infant daughter from their home in Kinston to ECU Health, WCTI is reporting.
Stroud said his daughter wasn’t breathing after suffering from RSV symptoms.
“It’s like God sent him to be there,” the couple told ABC 12.
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The couple said if it wasn’t for Trooper Matthew Brown’s quick reaction after pulling their car over, they aren’t sure if their daughter, a triplet named Amelia, would still be alive.
“I really had no words, but other than focusing on getting my baby to the hospital to get taken care of,” Stroud said. “Although we knew it was the season for this stuff, we really didn’t pick up on it. Other than a little cough, and that cough went from cough to a hoarse cry in the matter of three to six hours.”
Stroud said he knew he would likely be pulled over based on the speed he was driving at. The stop was a blessing in disguise.
“He noticed that she needed help right away and got help as fast as he good and he knew what’s best for us,” Stroud said of the trooper’s action.
Brown, a former firefighter and EMT, said he knew he had to move quick to save the 9-week old’s life.
“When I got back there, the baby was unresponsive sitting in the child’s seat. I turned her head towards me and I could see that her lips started to go blue and she was having a lot of trouble breathing,” Trooper Brown said. “Once I got her out of the seat, she started to breathe a little bit better. Her blueness started to go away and I started to rub her back and stimulate her to keep her awake where she could focus on getting her breathing back to normal.”
Brown, who is also a twin and is expecting twins in June, said he’s just glad he could do his job.
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The parents however, see it as more, thanking him for saving their daughter.
“Thank you so much, I cannot express how grateful I am that you were where you were when you were,” O’Neal said. “From the bottom of my heart, that means a lot and I do thank you so much. I wanted to get the word out and let everybody know how much of an angel you were Tuesday to me.”
Amelia has improved and is in stable condition, WCTI has learned. The couple took their other two girls after they started to show RSV symptoms.
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