School janitor saves choking boy in cafeteria

Quick thinking and fast action by teacher Lara McDowell and janitor Jim Jukich saved a first-grader at Washington Elementary School in Hibbing last week.

The boy was among some students who were finishing up lunch when he began to choke on piece of chicken, the Hibbing Daily Tribune reports.

Jukich called for McDowell to call 911 as he began to use the Heimlich maneuver he learned a decade ago as a pupil support assistant. The food dislodged before she could dial, the newspaper reports.

“I’m just real thankful that it worked,” he said. The next day, he spoke to students about how to recognize signs that someone is choking.