A deputy from the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department was awarded the District Attorney’s Hero Award Friday for being in the right place at the right time.

Sgt. David Odom said he has daughters of his own, so he was just doing what he hopes someone would do for him if one of girls were ever in trouble.

While on patrol in a rural area off of U.S. Highway 80, Odom saw a car in front of him abruptly pull over and someone jump out of the driver’s seat.

“This car just pulled over in front of me and turned their hazard lights on and I just pulled in to see what was going on,” Odom said. “Someone jumped out and ran around to the passenger side and grabbed this little small baby out.”

Odom ran up to the vehicle and saw the mother holding a child gasping for breath.

He said the child was choking on a small piece of plastic, possibly a piece of a CD case. He proceeded to turn the baby over and tap its back until the chunk of plastic came out and the 7-month-old stopped choking.

“As public servants we work long and hard hours and sometimes you wonder why you do it, but David had a moment that reminds all of us why we do it,” District Attorney Michael Jackson said when presenting Odom with the Hero Award. “He had a hero moment, a selfless moment.”

Jackson said without Odom’s training, dedication and quick thinking this child probably would have died.

“As I understand [Odom] was on a rural road and he was just in the right place at the right time,” Jackson said. “It was a blessing that he was there.”