Mom saves 8-year-old son who was nearly strangled by seat belt

BEDFORD, Massachusetts -- Police said it was a mother's instinct that helped save her 8-year-old son who was nearly strangled by a seat belt.

When 8-year-old Brayden yelled out to his mom that he couldn't breathe, she pulled the car over and saw he had pulled his seat belt loose and it was wrapped around his neck. He tried to get it out but the seat belt got stuck when the locking mechanism engaged.

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"Before I could even process anything, he was basically hanging from the ceiling," Brayden's mom Siobhan Sherbovich said.

Sherbovich saw her son was turning blue but instead of panicking, she knew she had to save her son and ran to a nearby hair salon and asked for scissors.

"At the time, I didn't know if it was open or not," Sherbovich said. "I was ready to break down windows."

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Daisey LaCourse, a hairstylist at the salon, tried to help Sherbovich and called 911.

Sherbovich eventually managed to free her son, administered CPR and got him breathing again.

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"And I cut him loose from the top of the ceiling. And he falls out of the car just completely unconscious onto the ground," she said. "He just went, 'What happened? I'm OK.' And just stared at me looking like he was from another planet."

Police said her quick thinking and not panicking helped save the 8-year-old.

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"Let's face it. Police and fire are trained on how to handle this type situation. There's no playbook on a parent how to do it. For her to keep cool, to go into a facility, a salon, get a pair of scissors, come out, cut the seat belt off her son, begin CPR and essentially save his life is just absolutely amazing," Bedford police Chief Bob Bongiorno said.