Watch a ‘truly heroic’ teacher use Heimlich maneuver to save Texas high school student

A Texas high school teacher is being described as a hero after she used the Heimlich maneuver to save a student who was choking.

It happened on Thursday, April 21, at Krum High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth Area. The school district said Carly Lovelace, an English teacher at the school, was giving her daily lesson when one of her students “jumped from her chair in a panic.”

The student was choking on the lid to a plastic water bottle, and she was shown in surveillance video racing into the hallway. Lovelace followed her into the hallway and wrapped her arms around her to apply the Heimlich maneuver.

She used the method on the student for about 10 seconds until she spit out the cap. Afterward, the teacher and student shared a long embrace.

The student received additional medical care by the school nurse “and is doing fine,” the district said.

Dr. Jason Cochran, the superintendent for Krum Independent School District, said Lovelace’s actions were “truly heroic.” He also commented on how the video showed the relationship between the teacher and her student.

“It is truly inspiring to watch a teacher create such a life-changing moment and have such a connection with her student,” Cochran said. “Seeing this student embrace Mrs. Lovelace for so long after being saved is inspiring to me and inspiring to others in the profession; that relationship right there is why teachers come into this profession.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 9:37 AM with the headline "Watch a ‘truly heroic’ teacher use Heimlich maneuver to save Texas high school student."