Cst. Denise Laforest is credited with saving the life of a 17-month-old girl after she found her unresponsive surrounded by frantic parents on a remote stretch of Hwy. 19. (submitted photo/Nanaimo RCMP)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

SAVE A LIFE

‘Something was seriously wrong:’ off-duty Nanaimo Mountie saves toddler’s life on remote stretch of Hwy. 19

Sep 9, 2021 | 9:51 AM

NANAIMO — A local RCMP officer was in the right place at the right time while on extended leave to save the life of a 17-month-old girl.

Cst. Denise Laforest was driving from Nanaimo to Alert Bay with her two children on Monday, Aug. 30, to meet up with her RCMP officer husband who had recently transferred to the remote detachment.

Laforest told NanaimoNewsNOW she spotted a vehicle abruptly pulling off to the side on Hwy. 19, between Woss and Sayward.

“As I passed I looked in the rear view mirror just to check and I saw a male jump out of the drivers seat and run to the passengers side really fast and he looked really scared and something was clearly upsetting him.”

Laforest pulled a quick U-turn and pulled up behind them. She told the parents who she was and took over the scene tending to Hanna, the girl in distress.

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She was unable to find any blockages or obvious injuries on Hanna and initial attempts to dislodge whatever she was choking on failed.

Laforest said she found a weak pulse which quickly disappeared, forcing her to take more aggressive life-saving measures.

Chest compressions with her fingers and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation were used to make Hanna wheeze. A small amount of hash brown was cleared from Hanna’s mouth and she then started crying.

The mother of two said it was a combination of her police mindset and motherly instinct to turn around and ultimately be able to help out.

“They both go hand in hand. I know that fear of your kid being sick or something bad happening and I just got that initial instinct that something was seriously wrong.

The parents, identified only as Amanda and Sam, were unable to call 9-1-1 due to the lack of cell coverage in the area. It’s likely Hanna would have died if not for Laforest’s intervention.

They took Hanna to a first aid clinic in Woss, before continuing to Campbell River where she was admitted to hospital. She was given the all-clear and discharged a few hours later.

The families have stayed in touch since the incident.

Laforest said her only other close call with a breathing issue came when her then-one year old daughter briefly choked on a piece of broccoli.

The sheer luck of being in the right place at the right time was not lost on Laforest.

“I’m so lucky…being able to pass that vehicle at that exact moment they were pulling over. Had I been two minutes faster or a few minutes slower, I may have not seen what was happening.

The parents didn’t have any first aid training, something which they pledged to change as soon as possible.

“First aid training is there, it’s available, you just Google ‘Red Cross first aid training’ and it’s everywhere, my understanding is you can do it online now,” Laforest said. “Get the training so that you’re prepared in case anything happens. I can’t imagine being there, not having the training and not being able to help.”

The Amanda, Sam and Hanna had recently arrived on Vancouver Island from Terrace, via a ferry from Prince Rupert and were driving down-Island to visit family.

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