Deputy Leland Love was awarded the Douglas County Sheriff's Office life-saving medal Wednesday, credited with saving the life of a 17-year-old girl unconscious from an accidental drug overdose.
In presenting the medal to Love, Sheriff Ron Pierini said the Stateline teen would have died or suffered irreversible brain damage without the deputy's intervention.
Love said when he and deputy Tim Johnson responded to the call Aug. 30, the teenager was lying on a bed.
"She was very pale and barely breathing," Love said. "At one point she wasn't conscious."
He attempted to awaken her, then moved the victim to the floor. He initiated and maintained rescue breathing to the victim until paramedics arrived.
Love said paramedics were on the scene within five minutes.
"I didn't think about how long. I was just focusing on what needed to be done," he said.
"I did what any other officer would have done."
The victim began to breathe on her own and has made a full recovery.
"Deputy Love's actions contributed directly to the victim's survival," Pierini said.
The presentation was made during shift change Wednesday with about 30 officers and department personnel present.
Love, 35, has been with the sheriff's department for 71Ú2 years. Prior to that, he served with the U.S. Marine Corps.
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