Second-Grader Steps in to Save Classmate from Choking; Receives an Award for His Heroic Action

Lunchtime turned near-deadly at an Elementary School in New York until a second-grader stepped in to save the day, according to Fox News.

David Diaz Jr. was hailed a hero after rushing to perform the Heimlich Maneuver when he noticed his classmate suffocating.

Diaz, a Woodrow Wilson Elementary School student in Binghamton, New York, said he learned the life-saving technique from watching ABC's "The Good Doctor."

Although teachers monitor the cafeteria during lunch, instead of getting one to help, Diaz decided to spring into action and help his classmate because he was closer to him. After performing the Heimlich Maneuver, the school nurse examined the student, and the school immediately contacted his parents.

Diaz said he was shocked when his classmate began to choke, and at first, he did not know what to do, but he just went ahead and did the life-saving technique, per The World News.

The Heimlich Maneuver

The Heimlich Maneuver is a type of first aid procedure that is commonly used when a person is choking. If you are alone with no one around you and choking, you can try to dislodge the stuff in your throat or wind wipe by performing the Heimlich Maneuver on yourself.

Heimlich Maneuver, otherwise known as abdominal thrusts, can be done on someone else too. If someone is choking, stand behind that person, slightly place one foot in front of the other for balance, wrap arms around the waist, make a fist with one hand and grasp it with the other hand, and lastly, perform between six and ten abdominal thrusts until the blockage is dislodged. 

Read Also: Eight-Year-Old Hero Brother Saves Baby Sister From Choking, Claims He Learned It From Nickelodeon 

Diaz learned the technique from a TV show

In an interview on Fox & Friends, Diaz shared that he learned the life-saving technique from watching ABC's "The Good Doctor" with his dad, David Diaz Sr.

"The Good Doctor" is a Netflix series released on September 25, 2017. The show is about a young surgeon, Shaun Murphy, with autism, who joins a surgical unit at a renowned hospital.

The quick thinking and the courage that Diaz showed earned him a reward, per Verve Times.

On June 13, Binghamton City School District superintendent Dr. Tonia Thompson and New York State Sen. Fred Akshar presented Diaz with the New York State Senate Commendation Award for his heroic actions.

"You have to save everybody in life," said Diaz, whose father told host Rachel Campos-Duffy he's beyond proud of his son for what he did.

"I was just wondering how he even knew how to do the Heimlich maneuver," he added.

Related Article: 8-Year-Old Boy Saves Baby Sister From Choking With a Tip He Learned On TV