A Cass County Sheriff’s Deputy has been recognized for the saving the life of a toddler in Beardstown last Monday night.
Cass County Sheriff Devron Ohrn announced in a press release that Cass Deputy Alec Bunfill saved the life of a 9-month old infant in a drowning incident at a Beardstown residence. Monday evening the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Beardstown Fire Department were called to the home for assistance.
Deputy Bunfill was the first to arrive at the home, and according to Ohrn, without hesitation took the infant from a family member and began performing life-saving measures. The infant had become unresponsive after being underwater in a bathtub. The techniques allowed the infant to expel water from its airway and begin breathing again. Bunfill transferred the child to the Beardstown Fire Department’s paramedics when they arrived a short time later so they could begin treating the infant with Advanced Life Support to stabilize the infant. The child was later transferred to St. John’s Hospital in Springfield for additional treatment and observation.
Ohrn commended Bunfill’s actions and called his swift intervention a great credit to the Cass County Sheriff’s Department. Ohrn also said the extraordinary care and transport provided by Beardstown Fire Department paramedics all led to the positive outcome of what could have otherwise been a fatal situation.