In Sullivan County, Village of Liberty Police were called to a home at around 6 p.m. Sunday, May 29, with reports of a two-year-old child bleeding uncontrollably from his leg, according to police.
When officers arrived, they found the boy suffering from two large lacerations to his leg and immediately began applying pressure to try and stop the bleeding, police said.
The boy was initially taken to a hospital in Sullivan County before being transferred to Westchester Medical Center for emergency surgery.
Investigators determined that the boy had been left unattended in a bathtub right next to multiple shards of porcelain from a broken toilet, police said.
Village of Liberty Police Chief Steven D’Agata praised the officers who were first on the scene, saying they most likely prevented a tragedy.
“I would particularly like to thank Sergeant Austin Sauer and dispatcher Jeffrey Ashdown for their quick thinking and professional actions,” D’Agata said.
He said Sauer correctly recognized the injuries as life-threatening and directed Ashdown, the on-duty dispatcher and a trained EMT, to come to the scene.
“Ashdown provided immediate emergency medical care to the victim that probably saved his life,” D’Agata said.
Police arrested Julie Degraw, age 24, of Liberty, on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment, and assault, all misdemeanors.
She was arraigned in the Town of Liberty Court and released on her own recognizance.
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