A heroic seven-year-old boy saved his choking classmate’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver on him – which he said he learned from watching medical drama The Good Doctor with his parents.
David Diaz Jr., a second grade student at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School in Binghamton, New York, has been branded a local hero after he helped another boy who was choking.
David Jr. jumped into action after he noticed that one of his friends, named DeAndre, had stopped breathing after a piece of pizza got stuck in his throat during lunchtime.
Without hesitation, he raced to DeAndre and began the Heimlich maneuver – a method used when someone is choking, which involves putting your arms around the person and performing abdominal thrusts with your hands in a fist – and correctly dislodging the piece of food.
© Provided by Daily Mail A seven-year-old boy (seen with his dad and New York State Senator Fred Akshar) miraculously saved his choking classmate’s life by performing the Heimlich maneuver on him
© Provided by Daily Mail David Jr. jumped into action after he noticed that one of his friends, named DeAndre (left), had stopped breathing after a piece of pizza got stuck in his throat during lunchtime
He said he learned how to do it after watching a few episodes of the Freddie Highmore-led ABC medical drama The Good Doctor with his dad, David Diaz Sr.
While teachers were nearby, the youngster – who was sitting across from the ailing student – told Fox News that he decided to get involved after he noticed that he was the one closest one to DeAndre.
The seven-year-old explained that you ‘always’ have to help people who are ‘in danger,’ adding that he acted without even pausing to think.
Video: Heroic 7-year-old saves choking classmate: ‘You have to save everybody in life’ (FOX News)
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‘If anybody is choking or is in danger, you always have to save them. If you don’t, then that could be really sad,’ he told the outlet. ‘I didn’t know what to do so I just did it.’
Kristin Korba, a second grade teacher at the school, who was monitoring the cafeteria when it happened, explained that David Jr. told her he had seen doctors perform the Heimlich on the show, and decided to ‘remember it’ because it seemed like something ‘important.’
© Provided by Daily Mail The younger said he had seen doctors perform the Heimlich on the show, and decided to ‘remember it’ because it seemed like something ‘important’
© Provided by Daily Mail Now, he has been branded a hero and was presented with a New York State Senate Commendation Award earlier this week by Senator Akshar
She said she went over to them right after it happened, and that they contacted DeAndre’s parents and sent him to the nurse, who cleared him to return to class.
David Jr.’s swift actions ultimately saved the young boy’s life, and his bravery was awarded by New York State Senator Fred Akshar, who presented him with a New York State Senate Commendation Award earlier this week.
‘David Jr. acted without hesitation, jumped in and performed the Heimlich maneuver to save DeAndre’s life,’ the senator told the Today show.
‘We were proud to present David Jr. with a New York State Senate Commendation Award for exemplifying what it means to be a hero in his community.’
‘I’m very proud of my son,’ his dad gushed to Fox. ‘He’s an angel in my eyes. If he’d like to pursue becoming a doctor when he grows up, I’ll be happy to help him achieve that later in life. But it’s really up to him.’
However, according to David Jr., he’s not so sure he wants to be a doctor.
‘I probably want to be, like, a basketball player,’ he admitted.