A vacationing off-duty Florida cop helped save a boy’s life in Dollywood, the Flager County Sheriff’s Office said.
Though “out of uniform, out of state, and enjoying his time at the theme park,” Sergeant Paul DeSousa stepped in when he heard cries for help, the sheriff’s office said Saturday. He followed the sound and found a park employee attempting the Heimlich maneuver on a boy who was not breathing.
“Sergeant DeSousa took the boy and assessed his condition,” the sheriff’s office said. :He couldn’t see anything in the boy’s mouth or throat, but the boy was not breathing, and his face had begun to turn blue.”
DeSousa began performing CPR and was joined by a paramedic who was vacationing at the theme park. “Together, the two worked to get the boy breathing again and color began to return to his face,” the sheriff’s office said. “They then stayed with the boy until an ambulance arrived.”
Dollywood is the east Tennessee theme park owned by Dolly Parton in partnership with the Herschend family, showcasing the culture and people of the Smoky Mountains. It attracts millions, including Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, who were spotted there over the weekend.
