February 16, 2024 – Englewood, FL
A Charlotte County deputy saved the life of a six-month-old baby after a motorcycle collided with a vehicle at a very high rate of speed.
Just after 7:30pm on February 8, 2024, Charlotte County Deputy Sgt. Dave Musgrove was traveling in the right lane on S. McCall Rd. near Spinnaker Blvd. in Englewood. At that time, he was passed by a motorcycle traveling at a high rate of speed in the left lane. The motorcycle was estimated to be doing in excess of 100MPH.
Seconds later, Sgt. Musgrove saw a cloud of dust and smoke ahead of him in the median area of Regina Dr. As he got closer, it was obvious that the motorcycle that had just sped by him had collided with a vehicle at this intersection. Sgt. Musgrove immediately activated his emergency lights and notified dispatch of the crash.
As he approached the scene, he located the shattered motorcycle, which had come to rest in the left lane of travel and was unoccupied. The other vehicle involved was approximately 25-40 feet away and there was crying coming from within that vehicle. As he approached, he observed the motorcyclist, deceased, wedged into the rear window on the driver’s side of the vehicle. As Sgt. Musgrove rushed to check on the victims, he heard the driver yell to him, pleading to help her children. Sgt. Musgrove immediately ran around the rear of the car and opened the rear passenger door, locating a small child and removing her from her booster seat. The mother yelled that she had another child in the backseat as well.
Being the only deputy on scene, Sgt. Musgrove flagged down a civilian to help hold the first child while he went to locate the second child. Underneath the deceased motorcyclist, Sgt. Musgrove located a baby seat with an infant inside, who was apparently unconscious. At this time, some bystanders approached and helped to move the motorcyclist off of the infant and cut the seat belt so that Sgt. Musgrove could remove the car seat and check on the baby. The infant had no pulse and was not breathing.
Acting quickly, Sgt. Musgrove removed the child from the car seat and immediately began chest compressions. Despite not observing any signs of life at first, Sgt. Musgrove continued chest compressions until the child finally inhaled deeply. At that time, EMS had arrived on scene, and Sgt. Musgrove passed the child off to them to continue lifesaving efforts. After a short time, EMS advised that they had detected a pulse.
“The actions of Sgt. Musgrove are to be commended. His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child. I want to thank the bystanders who came to his aid as well, allowing him to focus on the immediate need of the baby. This was a senseless accident that resulted in a life lost, but it would have been two lives had Dave not been there. Still, I offer my thoughts and prayers to the friends and family of the motorcyclist and I ask that you keep this mother and her children in your prayers.”
SHERIFF PRUMMELL