New Westminster Const. Todd Sweet was in the “right place at the right time” when a motorist suffered a medical emergency on the Port Mann Bridge earlier this month.
Sweet was driving home on Dec. 6 around 4:30 p.m. when a car ahead of him collided head-on into the cement barrier. Sweet got out of his vehicle and, with the help of off-duty officers from Vancouver and the RCMP, they pulled the driver from the vehicle and began administering CPR, according to a New Westminster Police press release.
“Myself and the other police officers happened to be at the right place and the right time to be able to help,” Sweet said in the release. “Whether you’re on shift or not, you react and do what you’ve been trained to do.”
Sweet continued CPR for 20 minutes while the other officers cleared the driver’s airways, stabilized his spine and directed traffic around the crash site, the release added.
Paramedics rushed the driver to hospital where he is recovering in the intensive care unit.
“I would like to thank Const. Sweet and the other police officers who assisted with this incident and helped save a life,” said New Westminster Police Chief Const. Dave Jones. “The desire to help others in need isn’t something our constables leave at the office. You have to understand that the mentality of the people that get involved as first responders – whether it’s police, fire, or EMS, it’s basically in our heart, it’s in our soul. It’s what we do.”
