A West Valley mother named Mickenzey Bennion became frantic when she realized her baby girl was not breathing and was unresponsive. Billy, her 9-month-old daughter, was teething and had a fever-induced seizure that scared Bennion so much that she called 911.
Sponsored School(s)
“My daughter, she’s not breathing. I picked her up and she was all stiff like, I can’t even explain it,” she told the dispatcher, hoping that someone would arrive quickly and help before it was too late.
Luckily for both Bennion and Billy, Detective Tyler Longman was in the area when he heard the call and was quick to act. He was closest to Bennion’s home, so he immediately went into action to try and save the 9-month-old little girl.
When he arrived, Detective Longman could tell the baby was in serious trouble. “She was just blue, purple, she turned from every color from gray to purple to blue,” her mother explained.
Thankfully, Longman knew exactly what he had to do. “Because it was a choking call, I immediately did a procedure to clear the airway of the baby and then I gave the baby a thrust on the back.”
Bennion recalled that what Longman did seemed to wake Billy up. She immediately started crying, much to their relief.
“When I was holding that little baby, for that moment she was mine, and to hear her cry and to come back: That was a great relief,” Longman admitted.
Since he is a Detective, Longman is no longer part of the West Valley City Police Department, but he was in the right place at the right time – and clearly the right man for the job. His quick thinking saved the life of baby Billy, who is doing well. In fact, she’s doing so well that only a few days later, both Bennion and Billy were able to extend their gratitude to Longman by thanking him in person for his heroic efforts.