Despite being honored last Thursday with the Lifesaving Award by Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Conservation Officer Sergeant Zack Carney maintains he was just “in the right place at the right time.”
The “right place” was just outside Russell Springs, and the “right time” was July 7, 2023. Sgt. Carney was on patrol like any other day, driving south on Highway 76. This was when something strange happened.
A car flashed their lights at him and began tailgating him, pulling close to his Fish and Wildlife truck. It was like they wanted him to stop them. Then he saw they were waving “frantically” at him, trying to flag him down, and he realized this was the case.
No sooner had he obliged by pulling over did two women emerge from the car. He watched as they came running up with something swaddled in their hands. It was a baby girl. She was not breathing, and she had not been for awhile.
By the time Sgt. Carney began performing emergency maneuvers, her eyes were rolling in the back of her head, and she was losing consciousness.
Sgt. Carney attempted what amounted to an infant Heimlich, though when this did not appear to solve the problem, Sgt. Carney opened her mouth, swept her throat with his finger, and realized she was choking on a foreign object. Manually unlodging it let her finally take a breath.
“She became more alert,” Sgt. Carney said. “I kept her in my truck in the AC and observed her to make sure she was okay until EMS was able to check her out.”
It was for this event that, during their statewide awards event in Frankfort, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife granted Sgt. Carney the Lifesaving Award. He was nominated by fellow Lake Cumberland Fish and Wildlife Officer Wayne Wilson.
“I am honored to be recognized for it, but personally I’m not a big award/spotlight guy when it comes to myself. I view it as being able to serve and protect the public like I took the oath to do,” Sgt. Carney said. Sgt. Carney resides in Adair County.
