RALEIGH COUNTY, WV (WOAY) – Early Tuesday morning a call came in about a two year old child that was unresponsive.
Deputy Haegan Harvey sprang into action and raced to the scene.
“Before arriving I advised the EOC, our dispatch, to have the adult and child outside,” said Raleigh County Sheriff Deputy Haegan Harvey. “Unluckily, they weren’t outside when I arrived so I was able to knock on the door and make contact with them. When I made contact with them the child was in the fathers arms and I advised them to get in my cruiser as fast as they could we were headed to the hospital.”
Deputy Harvey took the child to Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital where the child received the medical treatment he needed. In many cases police officers and sheriff deputies are the first to arrive on scene and usually work to get the necessary resources on scene, but are trained to take matters into their own hands if necessary.
“He helped save that child’s life and we are very proud of that,” said Raleigh County Sheriff Scott Van Meter. “He took the initiative and made that decision. Who knows medical personnel, ambulance, may have been ten or fifteen minutes before they even got there so he took that much time off of getting medical treatment to that child.”
Deputy Harvey says that when it comes to children the calls become more personal and you take them more seriously.
“Anybody doing this job I’d say they have a heart for people,” Deputy Harvey said. “It’s a two year old child, everybody has young children in there family and it sucks to see that in real life. Just a two year old juvenile unresponsive, you take more action you take it more seriously than you would something else.
Deputy Harvey also said he wouldn’t hesitate to take another call like that again if it came through while he was on duty.
Sheriff Van Meter also thanked the medical personnel at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital for treating the child upon arrival.
