As Michael Wargolet drove his family home Feb. 17 after coaching a youth hockey tournament in Illinois, a man on the side of the road caught his eye.
“It looked like someone needed help,” Wargolet said.
The man, who had parked his vehicle on the side of Interstate 41/94, was frantically attempting to get the attention of passing drivers. Wargolet, an Oak Creek firefighter, said he also saw a woman nearby holding what he thought was a child, wrapped in a blanket, in her arms.
Wargolet, who was off-duty at the time, pulled into the emergency lane, ran over and was immediately handed a 3-month old boy who wasn’t breathing and had no pulse.
“The baby was just thrust at me,” Wargolet said. While his wife called 911, Wargolet began to perform CPR on the infant.
After about a minute, the child took a breath — but only one.