TTC employee saves 15-month-old baby from choking on Toronto subway

Ben Kirton was recognized by the TTC board and CEO for his efforts in saving the life of a 15-month-old baby on Jan. 16 (TTC Media Relations/Twitter)

A transit supervisor was recognized by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) board and CEO for saving the life of an infant on Monday.

At the TTC Board Meeting on Jan. 19, CEO Rick Leary called Operations Supervisor Ben Kirton up to be recognized for his “heroic” efforts in saving the life of a 15-month-old choking baby.

“Ben is an operations supervisor that has been with the TTC six years,” Leary said. “This past Monday, Ben responded to an emergency alarm onboard a train at Coxwell station.”

Leary said Kirton arrived to find the infant choking and in distress.

“When he arrived on [the] scene, Ben immediately put his experience as a paramedic to use and began emergency first aid procedures.”

“His quick work resulted in the object being cleared from the child's airway and when EMS arrived, they confirmed that Ben's actions were life-saving,” he continued, adding that Ben’s effort was “heroic” in nature.

On Twitter, TTC media relations said this incident is “just one example of the exceptional and amazing work [TTC] employees do every day.”