Beaufort Fire Lt. Clay Scoggins and Inspector Sammy Negron grabbed the limp child and dashed to Lt. Scoggins' vehicle, according to Lt. Daniel Byrne, department spokesman.
The 9-month-old began breathing again in the vehicle as they rushed to the hospital but her breathing was very shallow. Negron, an EMT, initiated basic life support measures and encouraged the child to remain conscious and to breath deeper.
Firefighters arrived at Beaufort Memorial Hospital and turned the child over to ER staff.
As they left, they could hear the infant crying.
This was the second such rescue for Negron.
On Dec. 15, 2002, Negron and another firefighter were driving the department's rescue truck when they were flagged down by an erratic driver on Ribaut Road. Negron stopped the rescue vehicle in the median while his partner went to investigate. He returned to the truck with a lifeless 9-day-old boy.
Negron drove to the hospital while the firefighter performed CPR. Just like this time, as Negron left the doors of the ER, the baby was crying, Byrne said.
Republished with permission of The Beaufort Gazette.
