Blessing in disguise: State trooper saves infant’s life during traffic stop for speeding

KINSTON, N.C. (WCTI) - A state trooper in North Carolina is being hailed a hero for saving a baby girl during a medical emergency.

Trooper Matthew Brown was just doing his job when he pulled over a speeding driver but shifted into rescue mode when he learned why the driver was going too fast.

“It’s like God sent him to be there,” Derrick Stroud said.

A panicked father, Stroud said he drove almost 100 mph on the highway to get his 9-week-old daughter, who is a triplet, from their home in Kinston to the hospital.

Stroud said his daughter wasn’t breathing after suffering from RSV symptoms.

“I really had no words other than focusing on getting my baby to the hospital to get taken care of,” he said. “Although we knew it was the season for this stuff, we really didn’t pick up on it. Other than a little cough, and that cough went from cough to a hoarse cry in a matter of three to six hours.”

Stroud said he knew how fast he was driving and would likely be pulled over. He was right, and for the scared father, it was a blessing in disguise.

“He noticed that she needed help right away and got help as fast as he could and he knew what was best for us,” Stroud explained.

Brown is a former firefighter and EMT and knew he had to move quickly to save the infant’s life.

“When I got back there, the baby was unresponsive sitting in the child’s seat. I turned her head towards me, and I could see that her lips started to go blue and there was a lot of trouble breathing,” Brown said. “Once I got her out of the seat, she started to breathe a little bit better. Her blueness started to go away, and I started to rub her back and stimulate her to keep her awake so she could focus on getting her breathing back to normal.”

Brown, who is also a twin and expecting twins in June, said he’s not much for credit but is just glad he could do his job.

The baby girl’s condition later improved and at last report is expected to make a full recovery.

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