Officer helps saves woman who was choking on gum along highway

MANSFIELD, Texas — An officer who happened to be in the right place at the right time was able to help save a woman who was choking along a highway in Mansfield, Texas, a few weeks ago.

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Mansfield Police Department said on Jan. 13, Officer Chad Stevens encountered a woman on Interstate 20 who was choking. He was heading eastbound near Anglin Road when he saw a white vehicle driving in the left lane with its hazards on. Stevens activated his emergency lights and was able to pull behind the vehicle.

The woman reportedly told the officer that she swallowed a piece of gum, WFAA reported. It happened when another driver swerved in front of her. That action caused her to breathe in quickly, police said.

She then drove her car with the hazard lights on either to get help or to continue to cough up the gum. Authorities identified the woman only as Samantha.

“She was swerving back and forth, speeding up and slowing down, so I could tell they were probably in some kind of distress,” Stevens said Thursday, according to the news outlet.

“When I got up beside her, she was waving like, ‘Help me!’”

The police department posted a video on Facebook from Stevens’ dash camera that showed Stevens and Samantha, WFAA reported. It showed the woman getting out of the car, coughing and grabbing her neck.

“You’re choking? Turn around,” Stevens can be heard yelling, according to the news station.

That was when Stevens did the Heimlich maneuver. Authorities said he was able to dislodge the piece of gum successfully.

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