Santa Clara County Sheriff's deputy Darrick Lopez ( Santa Clara County Sheriff ) * « * 1 * »
A lunch of roast beef at a Sizzler restaurant in Morgan Hill could have turned deadly if not for the quick actions of three Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies.
After a jog, Deputies Darrick Lopez and Ledia Carlsen were enjoying a buffet at the steakhouse on Monterey Road about 12:30 p.m. June 4 when they heard a shout: “Someone is choking.”
The deputies spotted a man making a cell phone call, and a woman lying on the floor. Her face was blue.
Carlsen called dispatch for help. And Lopez leapt into action. Someone was doing chest compressions on the 70-year-old woman, but Lopez could see her heart hadn’t stopped. She was choking. He took over, and hoisted her into a seated position on the floor.
“I got down on my knees, put her back to my belly, and snuggled in tight,” Lopez said.
