Sheriff's Deputy Becomes Infant’s Honorary Uncle After Saving Her Life: 'He’s Our Family Now'

“Shortly after I started doing chest compressions, I heard a breath," Deputy Sgt. Dave Musgrove tells PEOPLE

A mother is praising a Florida sheriff’s deputy who saved the life of her 6-month-old daughter, sharing that he's now an honorary member of the family.

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Deputy Sgt. Dave Musgrove was traveling on S. McCall Rd. near Spinnaker Blvd. in Englewood, Florida, in the early evening of Feb. 8, when a motorcycle passed him by on the left lane going over 100 mph.

Then Musgrove noticed a cloud of smoke in front of him in the median area of Regina Dr., per authorities. When he got closer, he realized that the speeding motorcycle that passed him had collided with another vehicle at the intersection.

“I saw the pile of rubble, but I didn't see the motorcyclist," Musgrove tells PEOPLE. "Then I heard screaming...and I saw the motorcyclist impaled into the vehicle to my left.”

Mother Kayleigh Foley was in the vehicle with her two kids, 3-year-old Ariel and baby Lola, 6 months.

“I stopped at the stop sign, and that was right in front of the intersection,” she tells PEOPLE. “So I didn't see anyone coming."

“As I'm almost to the intersection, I turn to my left and see the bike and a bright light," she recalls. "And then I just remember the impact and my whole body aching.”

Related: Maryland Police Officer Hailed a Hero After Being Hit by Car While Pushing Student Out of Harm's Way

Realizing they weren't alone, Foley and her family did what they could to get help.

“Ariel, my oldest [was] screaming," Foley says. "I was honking my horn to let him know that I was alive, that we were in here to come for help."

"When [the motorcyclist] initially crashed into us, I didn't realize that he was in the car until I turned around trying to look for Lola and I see a head and blood," she adds. "That's when I realized that he was on top of her."

Authorities said the motorcyclist died at the scene.

Because he was the only law enforcement officer there, Musgrove handed Ariel to a passerby and then went back to the car for Lola. The passerby helped the officer pull the deceased motorcyclist off the infant and cut the seatbelt to get her out of the car.

Afterward, the deputy administered CPR on Lola. “I take her over to the median, get her out of the car seat, and I start doing chest compressions,” Musgrove says. “Shortly after I started doing chest compressions, I heard a breath. It wasn't a steady breath, but it was something. Shortly after that first breath, EMS arrived and they took over.”

Fortunately, emergency responders detected a pulse in Lola. As all of this was happening, Foley was thinking about her fiancé, who had passed away only six months earlier. "This can't be real," she recalls thinking. "I can't lose another person.’"

Related: Mich. Officer Saves Baby Who Stopped Breathing During Traffic Stop: 'Nothing Short of Heroic'

Foley tells PEOPLE that Lola, who was in the hospital for two and a half weeks after the crash, is doing well now and acting like her normal self.

However, there are still challenges ahead for the little girl, who sustained three skull fractures and a traumatic brain injury. “We're just trying to be positive and everything,” says Foley.

A GoFundMe was established to help the family pay for medical expenses. As of Monday afternoon, it has raised over $77,000.

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Musgrove’s heroics have also earned praise from Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell.

“The actions of Sgt. Musgrove are to be commended,” Prummell said in a statement. “His poise and calm demeanor in a scene of chaos and tragedy ultimately saved the life of a beautiful child. I want to thank the bystanders who came to his aid as well, allowing him to focus on the immediate need of the baby.”

Musgrove tells PEOPLE that the attention towards him since the accident has been overwhelming,

“My personal Facebook blew up from people I've never even met before," he says. "I am proud that I did something right and that she's here.”

Related: Officer Saves Baby Who 'Was Not Breathing' After Seeing Car Run Red Light: 'He’s a Hero,' Says Dad

A bond has now developed between the hero deputy and the family.

"I'm forever grateful for him. My children call him Uncle Dave," Foley says. "He's our family now.”

"There's no words...He's just an amazing person," she adds. "I'm just so grateful for him forever.”

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