ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A baby who was trapped underwater for nearly five minutes after her mother's SUV was hit and flipped over into a water-filled ditch was revived by a police sergeant.
The driver of the other car, Ryoichi Asao, 36, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, said police Sgt. Robert Glen, who administered CPR to the infant.
Five-month-old Ellen Kennedy was strapped in a car seat Sunday morning when her mother, Kim Kennedy, attempted to pass several cars on a highway, witnesses told police. Asao tried to pass Kennedy at the same time and hit the SUV from behind. Kennedy's vehicle landed upside-down in a watery ditch along the roadside, police said.
Witnesses turned the car upright, helped the mother out and pulled the child from a broken window, handing her to Glen.
The baby was blue and not breathing, and Glen said he feared she was dead. But he administered CPR and managed to revive her. The infant had been trapped under water for about five minutes, he said.
Police said the Kennedys were hospitalized in fair condition Monday.
Asao, who is from Japan, had moved to Alaska in June, said police spokesman Lt. Paul Honeman.
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