FORTVILLE, Ind. -- A third-grade teacher at a Hancock County, Indiana elementary school saved the life of a choking student with the Heimlich Maneuver Wednesday afternoon.
Fortville elementary school teacher Amy Hoeppner was bringing her class back from lunch Wednesday when she noticed the boy next to her, Abram Witten, was distressed with his hands around his throat.
She asked him if he was OK, but he only responded with more choking sounds.
Hoeppner, who knew the maneuver from her time as a camp counselor in college, put her arms around him and performed the Heimlich, according to a release from the school. The piece of celery he was eating was quickly expelled.
MORE | How to do the Heimlich Maneuver
Both Witten and Hoeppner went to the clinic to make sure everybody was OK, where the school called Witten's mother.
"I'm glad she reacted that well under pressure," Witten's mother, Serenity Turner, said. "I don't think he understood how traumatic it was; he just resumed his normal day. It's a good thing she acted the way she did and he came home in one piece."
At the clinic, Witten insisted he was fine and wanted to go back to class.
"When it was over and everything was OK, I felt kind of amazed," Hoeppner said. "Someone asked me how I knew where to put my hands. Honestly, you don't have time to think about the perfect textbook example; you just do it because you know what you are supposed to do - even if it's not perfect. What is perfect is the way it works. It worked exactly as we are told that it should."
Teachers in the Mt. Vernon Community School system must show proof of CPR certification upon being hired. They are required to keep their certification current while employed.
