Tampa Bay Elementary cafeteria manager saves choking student
Cafeteria manager saves choking St. Pete student
Lunchtime took a scary turn for a kindergartner at Lynch Elementary in St. Pete when he started choking on his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa Bay elementary school cafeteria manager is being hailed as a hero after using life-saving skills he learned decades ago to rescue a student who was choking.
The incident took place last Wednesday during the lunch rush at Lynch Elementary School in St. Petersburg.
Jacob Moss, the school's food and nutrition manager, was finishing up cooking in the kitchen when he heard a call for help over his radio. Five-year-old kindergartner Byron King had been eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich when he began choking and ran to a nearby trash can, feeling like he was going to throw up.
"I got some of it out, but some of it stayed in my mouth," King said, describing what happened.
A school volunteer first spotted the boy hunched over the garbage can and alerted a cafeteria monitor, who immediately radioed for help. Moss rushed from the kitchen to assist.
What they're saying:
"I noticed that there was a child that was bent over a garbage can," Moss recalled. "So, I immediately rushed up behind. There was a teacher that worked here last year next to him and was basically just helping him and was patting him on the back. So, I went ahead and immediately came behind him and gave him the Heimlich maneuver about four or five times and noticed stuff came up and he started to breathe. I waited for a couple moments to let him catch his breath."
He then called 911, and paramedics arrived to evaluate the young student, who ended up being OK.
Moss, who learned the Heimlich maneuver more than 25 years ago while in the Boy Scouts, said his instincts quickly took over. Pinellas County Schools recognized Moss with a PCS Praise Certificate.
He credits quick teamwork among the school staff and encourages everyone to learn life-saving techniques like CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.
"I’m just an everyday person doing the job. I just happened to be there at the right moment," he said. "I just happened to be the person that did it, but anybody else who was in that situation would have hopefully done the exact same," Moss said.
During a reunion Thursday, a grateful Byron had a message for Moss.
"Thank you, Mr. Moss, for helping me," he told him.
The Source: Information in this story is from Pinellas County Schools, Cafeteria Manager Jacob Moss and student Byron King.