MIAMI COUNTY, IN- Yesterday at approximately 4:27 p.m., an Indiana State Police trooper was able to utilize his training to save the life of a five-year-old Georgia boy.
Indiana State Police Trooper Ben Reason was driving to his Fulton County home, from a day of police K-9 training in Indianapolis, when the Miami County Central Dispatch Center broadcasted an unconscious and unresponsive five-year-old boy. The child was inside a minivan that stopped on U.S. 31 near Miami County Road 900 North. Trooper Reason responded to the call for help, arriving approximately 30 seconds after the dispatch.
Trooper Reason approached the minivan and found Maddox Gates, 5, Marietta, GA being held by his mother. Maddox’s eyes were rolled back in his head and his jaw was clenched shut and could not be opened. He was also turning blue. Trooper Reason did a quick assessment on the child and preliminarily determined Maddox had an airway obstruction. Reason then performed the Heimlich maneuver on the child, causing the child to throw up whatever was lodged in his throat. Reason continued to clear the child’s mouth and Maddox slowly became more responsive. Reason continued to monitor the child until firefighters, from the Denver Volunteer Fire Department, arrived and provided oxygen and further care. The boy was transported by ambulance to Dukes Memorial Hospital in Peru.
Maddox’s family was traveling through Indiana, returning home, from a family vacation in Michigan.
According to Maddox’s dad, Maddox has been released from the hospital and is doing well. They are continuing their trip home this morning.
Trooper Reason has served seven years with the Indiana State Police. He is assigned to the Indiana State Police Special Operations Section as K-9 handler for the Special Weapons and Tactics Teams (SWAT).
Troopers receive first aid training every two years, which includes cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich maneuver.