New Jersey 3rd Grader Hailed A Hero For Saving Friend Who Started Choking In School
EAST ORANGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A third grader who knew what to do in an emergency and took action is being credited with saving a life at school.
Kori Scott, 9, was honored Thursday by the mayor of East Orange, New Jersey for her quick-thinking and bravery when a friend began choking in the lunchroom about two weeks ago.
"I could just tell, because when I saw her starting to swallow, she stopped and started pounding on the table," she told CBS2's Clark Fouraker.
Scott said her friend was eating a burrito and left the cafeteria at Bowser Elementary looking for water.
"I started following her and I came out, she was holding onto a rail," she said.
It would be a scary situation for anyone, but Scott remembered something important as she left the lunchroom -- her friend would not be able to take a drink of water, because she was choking.
"I knew if she was holding onto the railing and she went to go lean her head over, she would have hit her head and she would have passed out," she said. "So I pulled her over, did the Heimlich maneuver – one, two, three. But I did it one more time to make sure that she wasn't choking."
"I picked her up from school, the teacher came out near-tears and she was like 'Kori did an exceptional job, an amazing job today.' And I was like, 'what?' She said, 'she saved a life,'" Scott's mother, Kiana, said.
She learned to do the Heimlich after her father performed it on her when she was three.
"Kori's smart instincts and quick action are the characteristics of a true hero," said Mayor Ted Green.
For her bravery, the mayor is making Scott mayor-for-the-day on Friday.
She said none of her friends have asked to learn the Heimlich, but some have asked for her autograph.
