TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A National Highway police officer surnamed Chen (陳) received a demerit for leaving his post to escort a family with a sick child to the hospital.

The mother of the child, who lives in Nantou County, posted an article to Facebook thanking Chen for his good deed. She said that at the time of the incident in July, she and her husband, along with their one-year-old child, were on their way to visit her parents in Tainan.

On the Yunlin section of National Highway 3, their child’s body began to twitch and stiffen.

They immediately drove to a nearby national highway police station, thinking there should be emergency medical technicians (EMT), according to the post. Chen, who was on duty, told them there were none present, advising them to use a navigation app to find the nearest hospital.

As the family was from out of town, however, they told Chen that they would struggle to find a hospital quickly.

It was around this time that the sick child began to lose consciousness. Taking note of the rapidly worsening situation, Chen decided to drive ahead of the family and clear the road, resulting in a trip that took less than 20 minutes.

After receiving emergency treatment at the hospital, the child recovered.

The mother said that she had been so worried at the time that she had forgotten to thank the officer. As a way of expressing her gratitude, she posted the article.

Upon hearing that Chen received a demerit for leaving his post, the couple set out to visit the police station and apologize to him. As luck would have it, he was not present when they arrived, per CNA.

The National Highway Police Bureau’s eighth brigade maintained that Chen, who was on duty at the time, should have reported the situation, asked standby staff to help, or called 119 instead of leaving his post. However, despite earning a demerit, Chen will also receive a commendation.