A photo of an Alabama police officer holding a baby girl at the site of a major traffic accident has generated an overwhelming response online.
On Oct. 6, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Facebook page shared this moving photo of Deputy Ric Lindley comforting a baby in front of an ambulance and multiple wrecked cars on Interstate 20 near Leeds, Alabama.
The photo's reach rapidly expanded, and it currently has over 22,000 likes on Facebook. "A dad in a uniform ... is still a dad," wrote one commenter.
An interview Lindley gave to AL.com reveals that he is indeed a father and grandfather. While conducting traffic and caring for passengers at the scene of the accident, he said he noticed a young mom leaning against her car with her baby in her arms. "She was pretty well shaken up, so I asked her if I could hold the baby," Lindley said.
Though the baby had been safely secured in her car seat, she was still a bit upset, so the deputy did what he could to comfort her. Once he held the baby and walked around, she quieted down, he said. "I recalled my days as a young father, and young grandfather, and I put those skills to work and calmed the baby down. She had a very sweet little personality."
According to the sheriff's office, the traffic accident involved an ambulance, an 18-wheeler and three vehicles. Only minor injuries were reported.
Deputy Lindley is quick to downplay the valor of his now-viral action at the scene.
"I did nothing heroic,'' the officer told AL.com. "All I did was hold a baby."
H/T Today
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