This is the moment a heroic school bus driver saves the life of a seven-year-old boy by performing the Heimlich manoeuvre on him after he swallowed a coin and began to choke.
The incident took place in Seagoville, in Dallas County, in the US state of Texas, on 29th September, although the footage has only emerged now.
The images show the young boy, named as Preston Bell, swallowing the coin, reportedly a quarter (USD 0.25; worth GBP 0.21) while on the bus on his way to school.
He can be seen making his way to the front of the bus for help after beginning to choke on the coin, with the bus driver, named as Raquel Radford Baker, quickly pulling over and carrying him off the bus before performing the Heimlich manoeuvre while taking him over to the pavement.
The Heimlich manoeuvre, also known as abdominal thrusts, is a first-aid procedure that is used to stop people from choking on foreign objects by exerting pressure on the diaphragm.
Baker managed to make Preston cough the coin up, saving his life.
Little Preston later said: “I choked on a quarter. And then, Raquel saved my life.”
Baker later told local media: “They have to get to school and get back, so my No. 1 priority is safety.”
Baker, who has been a bus driver for 17 years, added: “These are my babies, all of them.”
Preston’s mother Giovana Bell has praised Baker, calling her a hero.
While meeting the bus driver on Wednesday, 18th October, she reportedly said: “Oh my God, thank you so much. You never know what can happen to them once they get on that bus or whenever they leave your home. You don’t know if they won’t be able to come back.”
Preston has promised not to swallow any more coins.
