When Jim McIntyre took a lifesaving course as part of his training to be a school bus driver in Newport, Ore., he figured he'd never have to use the information, he told WCSH Portland.
Good thing he paid attention during the Heimlich portion.
Video captured by an onboard camera last week shows McIntyre springing into action when high school sophomore and bus passenger Nekko Deutsch choked on a plastic ice cube.
Deutsch later told the station he felt he was losing his vision.
Alerted by other students, McIntyre made his way to the back of the bus and calmly wrapped his arms Deutsch, squeezing twice to free the obstacle from Deutsch's airway. Deutsch told WCSH that he quietly cried all the way home.
McIntyre, a retiree from Southern California, is now being hailed as a hero, the Associated Press reports.
McIntyre also used the near-tragedy as a teaching moment, reminding the kids not to eat or drink on the school bus.
But kids will be kids, and it's a good thing bus drivers get safety training. Just a few days ago, San Antonio, Texas, school bus driver Anna Argullo performed the Heimlich maneuver on a student who was choking on a piece of candy as he waited for the bus. The student called Argullo a hero.
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