Orlando police officer who helped save infant's life to be honored
The Florida infant is now recovering after the crash
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An Orlando police officer credited with helping save the life of a toddler at the scene of a car crash last month will be honored Tuesday at his department’s headquarters.
Officer Curtis Neraasen is set to receive a special award from the Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital, while the 1-year-old child, named Miracle, is recovering, according to Fox35 Orlando.
“It really goes to show that in that time, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around the world. Law enforcement, the community, first responders -- we're going to come together and take action and find a way to prevail over anything that’s going on,” Neraasen said in a video posted on the department’s Twitter account, in which he recalled the events of that night in August.
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OHIO POLICE OFFICER DESCRIBES HEROIC RESCUE OF GIRL IN OVERTURNED CAR
Neraasen, after pulling up to the scene of what police described as a “dangerous crash,” said he “knew somebody was going to be injured.”
“Once I got closer to the crash, I observed a bystander remove an infant from the back of the vehicle,” he added. “It tugs at your heart any time there’s children involved.”
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Neraasen said at first, “it was hard to tell if she was breathing or not,” but he realized her body was “fighting for air.”
Officer Curtis Neraasen said a bystander helped remove the toddler from the damaged vehicle. (Orlando Police Department)
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The officer told police in an interview that his training then kicked in, and after the infant was placed on her side she started “coming back”.
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“That natural infant cry was coming out of her so that was definitely a good feeling,” he said.