Principal saves student by performing Heimlich maneuver


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HOLLADAY -- The vice principal at Bonneville Junior High may have saved the life of a student. Martin Frustaci said, "Some little girls, 7th-graders, came up and said, ‘Mr. Frustaci my friend's choking."

With that, Mr. Frustaci sprung into action and found young Samantha Merlette turning blue. Suddenly he found himself performing the Heimlich maneuver.

"I didn't think about what I was doing," he said. "I just responded."

Principal saves student by performing Heimlich maneuver

Within moments he dislodged the nacho chip Samantha was choking on, much to the relief of all the kids.

He said, "The kids stood up and started clapping and it made me feel really good."

Even though she'll be fine, she's a little hesitant to dive into nachos. She said, "I'm not scared of them, or I'm just thinking whether I should hold back on chips a little?"

Samantha offered a heartfelt thanks to her vice principal. And we'd like to thank Samantha's classmate, Naddi West, for helping us share this close call.

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