Rachel Kozak looked on Monday night as her 3-year-old daughter thanked the man who saved her life.
“Thank you Sergeant Pinto,” Grace said.
Kozak knows her daughter may not have been able to ever utter those words if not for Radnor Township Police Sergeant Joseph Pinto’s actions back on January 8. Kozak says her daughter had a severe case of croup that night which caused her to choke.
“I got in the car and sped down Montgomery Avenue, trying to remember where Bryn Mawr hospital was,” Kozak said.
Kozak’s car sped past Sergeant Pinto’s vehicle and through a red light on County Line and Conestoga roads in Radnor Township. She then stopped to ask for help.
“When the car stopped suddenly the lady got out of the car saying her daughter was in distress and she believed she was choking,” Pinto said. “She was breathing but she was non-communicative. She was having difficulty. She was making gasping sounds.”
Pinto evaluated the 3-year-old girl and requested a medic to respond. When the girl’s breathing became more labored however, he quickly took action.
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“He stopped me and he took over and I was so happy because I thought, ‘all we have to do now is get to the hospital,’” Kozak said.
Sergeant Pinto placed Kozak and Grace into his patrol car and quickly got them to Bryn Mawr Hospital. He turned the girl over to doctors who gave her immediate medical attention. Grace was doing just fine Monday night when Pinto received the Commendation for Life Saving Award by the Radnor Board of Commissioners.
Pinto told NBC10 Grace reminded him of his own daughters.
“I have three daughters of my own,” Pinto said. “Every time I looked at her she looked like a different one of my own children. It puts things in perspective and a little added pressure to get things done right and you try to do the best job you can.”
