Vernon garbage man honored for saving toddler’s life

A Vernon public works employee was honored for saving a toddler’s life at a town council meeting Tuesday night.

In the middle of his trash route last Thursday morning, Doug Haiko saw a car on the side of the road and a mom in distress.

He said her 18-month-old boy was choking. Using the EMT training he learned years ago, he did the Heimlich maneuver, and after a while, the boy started breathing again.

“Really, wasn’t a lot of thinking involved,” said Haiko. “It was just get in and try to help.”

Haiko’s wife, Brianna, was on the phone with him when he went to help the boy.

“I was just on the phone with him, talking with him, and all of a sudden, I heard, ‘Do you need help?’ Didn’t really hear what was going on in the background,” she said. “And all I heard was him trying to call for an ambulance, calling for help.”

Haiko later explained what had happened to his wife. She said she wasn’t shocked her husband would be so quick to act.

“I’m very proud of him, it’s the kind of person he is,” she said. “I know he’s very low-key about it, but as a mom, I had a little more emotion. But I was very proud of him for stepping up and doing the right thing.”

The mayor and town council thanked Haiko for his willingness to jump in and help.