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Freshman Saves His Friend From Choking With The Heimlich

February 12, 2020

A high school student in Wisconsin has his friend to thank for saving his life during a frightening choking incident.

Surveillance footage shows freshman Ian Brown leaping into action when his classmate Will Olson began to choke across the table. While other students thought Olson was joking around, Brown said he noticed a color change in Olson's neck and leaped into action.

Brown administered the Heimlich maneuver until the food stuck in Olson's throat became dislodged.

According to the La Crosse Police Department, Brown had been trained as part of the agency's Police Explorer program, which introduces young adults interested in a career in law enforcement to the basics of policing, including first aid training.

The program's instructor, Officer Kurt Weaver, says he's proud to see him in action.

"He appeared very calm and said, 'okay this is the situation, this is what I have to do,' and just like that's how we train so it was neat to see that training carry over into a real life situation," Weaver said.