Six inmates serving time at Polk County Jail in Georgia are being hailed as heroes after they saved a correctional officer who passed out during a work detail. WXIA-TV News reports that on Monday, the workers were outside during a particularly humid morning when the officer suddenly passed out. The six individuals could have seized the opportunity and escaped by taking the guard’s van, gun and speeding away. Instead, they stayed and ended up saving the man’s life.
After the officer passed out, the inmates rushed to him and discovered that he wasn’t breathing. In a swift decision, they removed his gun belt and bulletproof vest so he could receive CPR. While one of the inmates compressed his chest and gave him mouth-to-mouth, another used the officer’s phone to dial 911.
By the time emergency medical personnel arrived to help, the guard had started breathing again, though roughly. The officer was then transported to a nearby hospital where he has since been recovering. Family members of the injured officer brought lunch and desserts to the six inmates as a “thank you.” Each man also had his jail sentence shorted by 25%.
While undoubtedly grateful, the inmates believe that it was simply the right thing to do. Said Greg Williams:
“When that happened, in my opinion, it wasn’t about who is in jail and who wasn’t. It was about a man going down and we had to help him.”
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