4th Grader Uses Heimlich To Save Student From Choking

November 16, 2022

A 9-year-old in Wisconsin is being called a hero after she rushed to save a classmate who was choking.

student saves classmate Heimlich

Lunchtime at Racine’s Fratt Elementary School in Madison took a sudden and serious turn on Tuesday. Essie Collier, a fourth grader, noticed one of her classmates was in distress.

"I just saw that she was holding her neck, and I rushed up there as fast as I can," Essie said.

Teacher Samantha Bradshaw said Essie wrapped her arms around the student and began performing the Heimlich. Her classmate's airway was cleared, and within seconds the girl was breathing fine.

"I have never seen a student react in that way before," Bradshaw said.

Essie said that she learned the technique two years earlier from a YouTube instructional video, when she was 7, and that the lesson stayed with her.

Watch the video below.