thedrifter
01-02-06, 02:11 PM
Waterloo man saves choking restaurant patron
By JEFF REINITZ, Courier Staff Writer
Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier
WATERLOO --- A Marine veteran from Waterloo came to the aid of a choking restaurant patron last week.
Emmanuel Berry used the Heimlich Maneuver he learned while serving in the military in the 1980s and 1990s to dislodge food that was trapped in a man's throat Dec. 26.
"His food probably went down the wrong pipe," said Berry's wife, Shannon, who witnessed the incident.
Emmanuel "went over there and grabbed the man, did what he had to do, and the food came out," she said.
Berry, 36, downplays his act of heroism, which unfolded sometime around 7 p.m. at the Steak & Shake near Crossroads shopping center.
"I just did something that anyone would have done," he said. "I just thank God that I knew the Heimlich Maneuver to where I could do it."
Berry said he hadn't been to Steak & Shake for about five years, but for some reason he was craving the diner's food and decided to take his wife and his stepson, Devate Ewell.
The three were eating when Shannon noticed the man of about 60 sitting near them was making a noise. It first sounded like wheezing or like a child screaming.
She alerted Berry, who told her he should be all right.
If he's making noise, then air is getting in, he reasoned.
But the man didn't appear to be getting any better, and Berry had a passing waitress check on him.
That's when the man stood up and bent down over the table holding his throat. He wasn't breathing, said Berry, who went to help.
Remembering his medical training from the Marines, Berry grabbed the patron from behind, felt about four finger widths below the sternum and began lunging.
The first thrust was futile, as was the second.
The third was accompanied by a brief prayer.
"Please, God, help me," Berry said.
The waitress told him the food came out and landed on his plate, and Berry could hear the man inhale and struggle to catch his breath and regain his composure.
Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue arrived a short time later. The man refused an ambulance ride after the medics checked his vital signs. He had a relative drive him home and left without talking to anyone else.
A graduate of the former Central High School, Berry joined the Marines in 1988 and served into the mid-1990s. His stint included a tour in Kuwiat during Operation Desert Storm as part of a field artillery unit.
He now works at Omega Cabinets.
Contact Jeff Reinitz at (319) 291-1578 or jeff.reinitz@wcfcourier.com.
Ellie
By JEFF REINITZ, Courier Staff Writer
Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier
WATERLOO --- A Marine veteran from Waterloo came to the aid of a choking restaurant patron last week.
Emmanuel Berry used the Heimlich Maneuver he learned while serving in the military in the 1980s and 1990s to dislodge food that was trapped in a man's throat Dec. 26.
"His food probably went down the wrong pipe," said Berry's wife, Shannon, who witnessed the incident.
Emmanuel "went over there and grabbed the man, did what he had to do, and the food came out," she said.
Berry, 36, downplays his act of heroism, which unfolded sometime around 7 p.m. at the Steak & Shake near Crossroads shopping center.
"I just did something that anyone would have done," he said. "I just thank God that I knew the Heimlich Maneuver to where I could do it."
Berry said he hadn't been to Steak & Shake for about five years, but for some reason he was craving the diner's food and decided to take his wife and his stepson, Devate Ewell.
The three were eating when Shannon noticed the man of about 60 sitting near them was making a noise. It first sounded like wheezing or like a child screaming.
She alerted Berry, who told her he should be all right.
If he's making noise, then air is getting in, he reasoned.
But the man didn't appear to be getting any better, and Berry had a passing waitress check on him.
That's when the man stood up and bent down over the table holding his throat. He wasn't breathing, said Berry, who went to help.
Remembering his medical training from the Marines, Berry grabbed the patron from behind, felt about four finger widths below the sternum and began lunging.
The first thrust was futile, as was the second.
The third was accompanied by a brief prayer.
"Please, God, help me," Berry said.
The waitress told him the food came out and landed on his plate, and Berry could hear the man inhale and struggle to catch his breath and regain his composure.
Paramedics with Waterloo Fire Rescue arrived a short time later. The man refused an ambulance ride after the medics checked his vital signs. He had a relative drive him home and left without talking to anyone else.
A graduate of the former Central High School, Berry joined the Marines in 1988 and served into the mid-1990s. His stint included a tour in Kuwiat during Operation Desert Storm as part of a field artillery unit.
He now works at Omega Cabinets.
Contact Jeff Reinitz at (319) 291-1578 or jeff.reinitz@wcfcourier.com.
Ellie