ALBANY, N.H. (WHDH) – An off-duty Chelmsford police officer helped resuscitate a toddler after she was pulled unconscious from a New Hampshire lake Friday, police said.
Officer Matthew Sech was on vacation that day at Iona Lake in Albany, N.H., when around 11 a.m., he heard a woman screaming from the shoreline, according to the Chelmsford Police Department. The woman had just brought her unresponsive 2-year-old daughter out of the water, police said.
Sech ran to the child, delivering multiple back blows to expel water from her lungs, according to police.
“I placed her on the ground, on her side, which we call the ‘recovery position,’” Sech said. “I gave her some back slaps, she started coughing. I gave her some more back slaps, at which point she coughed some more, spit up some water.”
She regained consciousness but remained lethargic, police said.
Local emergency crews arrived on scene to take over care and bring her to the hospital. The toddler has since been released and is in good health, police said.
Sech has served at the Chelmsford Police Department for six years and recently completed EMT training, according to police.
“I’m just glad I was at the right place at the right time and that my training and experience kicked in and I was able to provide the best care that I could,” Sech said.
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