A paramedic stepped in to save the day when a elementary school student in Miami-Dade choked on a taco, and the dramatic rescue was all caught on video.
The video shows the moment when a 5th grader at Seminole Elementary was choking on a taco last week. Fortunately there was a paramedic there to help.
"I couldn’t breathe, it was very hard and I was choking," said 10-year-old Luis Salcedo. "I thought it was scary for me that I almost saw a black out."
In the video, the school principal is seen trying to help, attempting multiple times to perform the heimlich maneuver. The heimlich is a quick, first aid, lifesaving technique that involves thrusting into the abdominal area from behind.
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While the principal keeps trying, the assistant principal is calling on the radio for more help.
"It was a bit scary. I’ve honestly never seen that happen in person before. I've never seen a person having to perform the heimlich so it was a bit of an intense moment. But, I was happy he was here to help out the situation," said Raquel Perodin, Assistant Principal at Seminole Elementary.
The video then shows the school’s paramedic, Javier Montes De Oca, rushing out and also performing the heimlich multiple times.
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"When I came to the child the first thing that went through my head was 'I hope I perform it well.' Because in an emergency like that you get built up with anxiety and all that stuff," said Montes De Oca. "But, as soon as it cleared up I was relieved that the child was safe and able to breathe again."
After his airways cleared, Salcedo's airways quickly cleared.
"My throat is like full of wind inside, like air in my throat I could finally breathe," he said.
Montes de Oca has been a paramedic since 2018. This was his first time performing the heimlich.
"I feel happy that all my training came in at a moment’s notice for an emergency like that. So I was proud of myself and happy that the child is fine," he said.
Coincidentally, the day before, the school board unanimously passed a measure to look into offering a heimlich professional development component for interested employees and parents.
"Knowing what to do in case of an emergency when somebody is choking can save the life of a child and save the life of a teacher or administrator or an employee," Chairwoman Mari Tere Rojas said at the public meeting.
Mari Tere Rojas led the meeting’s discussion after hearing about two similar choking incidents recently in the district.
"You never know. You never are quite ready to face a situation that is unprecedented, that you’ve never had to deal with before. But, if it comes to having an opportunity to save one life then it is something I think is extremely critical that we’re all cognizant of," she said.
The approval for a heimlich course was unanimous. There should be more details about that in February.
