MAYVILLE — A Chautauqua County sheriff’s deputy has been credited with saving the life of an infant girl who reportedly stopped breathing after choking on food Monday afternoon.

Deputy Adam McAdoo was with co-workers from the Sheriff’s Office at the Mayville Diner eating lunch when a woman about two tables over yelled that her 8-month-old child was not breathing. McAdoo, who’s also an emergency medical technician, rushed to the child and began first aid.

“Like I was trained I went to the child, which wasn’t making any noise,” McAdoo told The Post-Journal. “It wasn’t crying and wasn’t breathing.”

McAdoo said he turned the 8-month-old over and gave seven to eight back blows using the palm of his hand. He said a piece of food was dislodged and the girl began crying.

“She got back to normal pretty quickly,” said McAdoo, a four and a half year veteran at the Sheriff’s Office. “Once I heard her crying a lot of the stress was gone. This is the last call you ever want to get.”

Deputy Adam McAdoo

“Everyone always has a soft spot for kids,” he said.

McAdoo, a Bemus Point resident with a young child himself, said the entire incident lasted about a minute. He said he has been an EMT for about two years; he volunteered for the training, something all candidates going through the local Sheriff’s Academy are now required to do.

“You never know when you’re going to be needed,” McAdoo said. “I think it’s good to have (that training). We’re always out there in the community.”

Sheriff Joe Gerace said the incident further proves the importance of training deputies with life-saving skills.

“I couldn’t be more proud,” Gerace said of McAdoo. “I’m thrilled he was able to give life-saving aid to this child. This is an example of the good that can be done to have the EMT training.”

The sheriff said about 20 deputies are certified EMTs.

See Tuesday’s edition of The Post-Journal for complete coverage.