A Denton police officer is being hailed as a hero, for quick action which saved the life of a newborn baby, who was born in the backseat of a car.
Yancey Green joined the Denton Police Department in 2012. He is a road patrol officer.
“There's no such thing as a typical day,” said Green. “You never know what's going to happen. You never know what call you're going to get."
Including the one officer Green responded to on Tuesday. He was actually responding to another call, for a suspicious person, when someone called 9-1-1 for a baby in distress. He was at a stoplight on University Drive, near where the call originated. He pulled into the shopping plaza, where a man frantically waved his arms, flagging him down.
“He met me at my door,” said Green. “And said I don't believe my baby's breathing."
The man’s wife had just given birth in the back seat of their car. She was slipping in and out of consciousness. The newborn boy indeed was not was not breathing, and was turning blue.
“I had butterflies,” Green admits. “I wanted to panic."
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Instead, he began to use his training – clearing the baby's air passage and patting the child's back. Finally, the baby took a deep breathe, and began to cry.
Officer Green is credited with saving the baby's life. Denton paramedics responded, and took the woman and her baby to the hospital.
“It is rewarding,” he said. “It does feel good to know I was at the right place at the right time."
To the officer’s superiors, it was more than that. At a promotion ceremony recognizing sergeants for becoming lieutenants and other cops for their time of service -- Green had no idea he, too would be commended for his life-saving actions.
Denton Police Chief Frank Dixon called Green to the front of the room, shook his hand, and thanked him for his service.
Green says he’s not one to seek attention. Despite the recognition, the police officer of twelve years downplays his role. He reiterated – he was simply in the right place, at the right time.
"I did what any other officer would have done on any given day,” said Green. “It's just today was my day."
