CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WVEC) — Emergency officials are commending a woman who saved the day after a three-year-old girl started choking.
Assistant Fire Marshal Captain Steve Bradley said the girl was choking at Egg Bistro in Chesapeake on Saturday and an unidentified woman performed the Heimlich maneuver.
Waitress Heather Wade said she was in the middle of taking someone’s order when she heard a screaming.
“You just hear someone yelling at their child to breathe, so everything got silent after that,” said Wade.
Wade said a woman who identified herself as a lifeguard stepped in.
“I would say twenty more seconds and it wouldn't have been a good turn out,” said Wade.
This kind of quick thinking is what Thomas Schwalenberg said will save lives. He said the key is to identify the signs someone needs help.
“They will likely clutch at their throat so you'll see them do something like this or pulling down and it’s just a natural reaction for someone who’s choking to do that,” said Schwalenberg.
Schwalenberg said if someone isn't coughing and moving air themselves, to go ahead and give them the Heimlich.
Here is how individuals can perform the Heimlich maneuver:
- Form a fist with one hand and place your fist, thumb side in, just below the person's rib cage in the front.
- Grab your fist with your other hand. Keeping your arms off the person's rib cage, give four quick inward and upward thrusts.
- You may have to repeat this several times until the obstructing object is coughed out.
The girl was evaluated by paramedics and is okay.
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