A quick-acting Florida deputy's response to a harrowing car crash involving a motorcyclist and a car with two children onboard, led to a life-saving rescue, as reported by WSVN. Sgt. Dave Musgrove of the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office was on patrol when he observed a motorcyclist speeding past at dangerous speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. Minutes later, he came upon a resulting accident where a vehicle was enveloped in smoke after being struck by the motorcyclist.
The deputy found a distraught mother pleading for her children's rescue. Musgrove rushed to the vehicle, and first extracted a 3-year-old named Ariel, before urgently seeking assistance from a passerby, "Hey, sir! Come help me! Please. Please. I need you to hold this little girl," Musgrove is heard saying on bodycam footage. He then returned to the wreckage to retrieve an unconscious 6-month-old baby named Lola, who was trapped in a crushed part of the car, as detailed by FOX 29.
Amidst the chaos, Musgrove performed life-saving CPR on Lola, who showed no signs of life initially. "Is she alive?" the mother frantically asked, to which the deputy replied with a breath of hope, "I just heard her breathe! Come on." Paramedics arrived shortly after and confirmed a pulse, culminating in the infant being taken to the hospital for further treatment. Musgrove later told reporters, "I tried to check for signs of life, which I wasn't getting," he recalled. "I immediately took the baby out of the car seat and started doing, like, taking measures." Despite the praise, he remained grounded, asserting, "I still don't consider myself a hero. I just did my job, you know? That’s what we’re paid to do," he added in the interview with WSVN.
Lola's condition has since improved and although her journey to health is expected to be arduous, she is currently recovering well. Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell echoed Musgrove's heroics, noting, "His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy, ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child." He also expressed gratitude toward the bystanders who aided Musgrove, which allowed him to focus on saving the baby's life. While Musgrove averted the loss of a second life, the sheriff offered condolences for the deceased motorcyclist and urged the community to keep the mother and her children in their thoughts and prayers.
