MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana sheriff's deputy performed the Heimlich maneuver to save a motorist during a routine traffic stop.
The LaPorte County Sheriff's Office says rookie Deputy Austin Wells had pulled a 65-year-old woman over Tuesday morning on suspicion of speeding when he noticed she was in distress and turning blue. After she indicated she could not breathe, Wells pulled her from her SUV and applied sharp pressure four times to her abdomen to dislodge an object stuck in her windpipe.
The woman, who wasn't identified, told Wells she had been eating honey mustard nuts when she began choking on one. An ambulance crew then checked her out at the scene on a county road near Michigan City.
"What could very well have ended in tragedy had a great outcome due to Deputy Wells quick action. We are thankful that the driver was alright following what had to be a scary few moments," LaPorte Co. Sheriff John Boyd said.
The sheriff's office says Wells has been on patrol for five months.
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