UNION COUNTY, N.C. — Deputy Brandie Grant with the Union County Sheriff’s Office rapidly responded to a choking emergency on a Monday morning, saving an 83-year-old nonverbal woman.
Grant’s swift action followed a call reporting a complete obstruction for the victim. She realized she was already in the Brook Valley neighborhood, just across the street from the residence where the incident took place.
Grant said she was “literally in the neighborhood” when the call came in. The Union County Sheriff’s Office confirmed her arrival at the home in just 3 minutes.
Upon her arrival, Grant saw a caregiver at the door flagging her inside the residence. The 83-year-old woman was lying on the kitchen floor and had begun to turn blue.
Deputy Grant described picking up the woman and performing abdominal thrusts. The woman gave “about three good coughs,” and Deputy Grant observed some material coming from her mouth.
She noted the woman began breathing and held her up because she could not stand on her own.
The woman, who was nonverbal and had early signs of dementia, was transported to the hospital after the incident.
Deputy Grant later spoke with family members, who expressed their gratitude and confirmed the woman had been discharged and sent home from the hospital.
Deputy Grant, who has served with the Union County Sheriff’s Office for 11 years and covered Indian Trail for the last two, stated she had never encountered a choking situation before.
She credits being “in the right place at the right time” for the successful rescue. Deputy Grant said she was able “to do his work and what he put me here for.”
The 83-year-old woman has since been sent home from the hospital.
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