Dashboard cam shows Austin officer save choking driver

Jenni Lee | KVUE-TV, Austin

Show Caption Hide Caption Cop saves choking woman in striking dashcam video What started as a traffic stop for someone using their cell phone ended with an Austin, Texas police officer saving the driver from choking. Officer Dustin Clinkscales pulled the car over, but instead of writing a citation, he saved her life.

AUSTIN — What started as a traffic stop for someone using their cell phone while driving July 5 ended with an Austin police officer saving the driver from choking.

Officer Dustin Clinkscales noticed a female driver trying to use a cell phone. He put on his sirens and pulled the car over, but instead of writing a citation for talking and driving, Clinkscales saw the driver holding her throat and not breathing.

"Are you ok? You choking?" Clinkscales asked the driver, which was recorded on dash camera.

The driver, who declined KVUE's request for an interview, couldn't talk or breathe. Clinkscales slapped her back in an attempt to dislodge the obstruction. When that doesn't work, he pulled her out of the driver seat and started the Heimlich maneuver.

After three uses, the biscuit was dislodged and the driver is heard gasping for air.

As the driver fainted from lack of oxygen, Clinkscales caught her and gently lowered her to the ground before radioing for help.

"It's really amazing how quickly he recognized that something was wrong, how quickly he acted and cleared her passage way," said APD Cmdr. Michael Eveleth.

The driver was taken to the hospital and is okay. Her father, an Austin Police Department detective, said his daughter is grateful.

"She's very thankful. She says she was lucky he was there," said Detective Duncan Dunn.