Scary incident. I was flying from Istanbul to Belgrade on Air Serbia and the kid sitting in front of me choked on his lunch.
Boy Chokes On His Business Class Cheeseburger
It was a tense few seconds. To hear someone choke is a scary thing. His mother’s initial response was to scream.
The boy, probably three years old, was eating a cheeseburger and French Fries (not the sort of meal you would expect to find on an Eastern European carrier…) and likely did not chew it, a common problem with young children.
I was prepared to jump in and assist and so were the flight attendants and the friend I was traveling with. But after the initial scream, motherly instinct kicked in and the kid was whacked on the back several times.
After a few hard whacks, the a bit of cheeseburger flew out and hit the bulkhead wall, and the child began to cry. Oh what a delight and relief to hear a the sobbing of a child. He could once again breathe. Within moments, he was back to old self.
CONCLUSION
One time my son choked on a slice of watermelon at the dinner table and we had to perform the heimlich maneuver on him. Few things in life are scarier than a parent seeing their child in danger.
I’m so thankful that the piece of cheeseburger stuck in his throat was dislodged and the boy walked away from the flight smiling.
Have you ever encountered a choking incident onboard an airplane?
These Australian sources say it more succinctly than me so…
(me) Heimlich is the gold standard. Slapping on the back is good for minor choking.
(Government of Victoria) Don’t slap a choking person on the back while they are upright – gravity may cause the object to slip further down the trachea (windpipe). First aid for choking adults includes back blows and chest thrusts while the person is leaning forward.
The most important thing to remember is never to pat or slap your choking child on the back if they are managing to cough. Your actions may dislodge the object and allow it to be inhaled deeper into the airway.
(true story) A grandmother witnessed her grandson choke on a peanut or similar. She decided to call her daughter for advice. The kid died. I wonder if the Heimlich would have saved the kid?
RIP the piece of cheeseburger
I would’ve still eaten it!
I would have jumped in and been the hero but….
So great that the pandemic has been declared officially over in your world… and you can travel freely without Amy restrictions or face diapers, or any other nonsense….
I’m glad the kid lived, but there’s a ‘take-away’ here: these burgers and other meat-based foods are potentially deadly. Last year a friend of mine died, choked on fried fish. Dead by the time he was found ( 5 minutes).
Never encountered a choking incident in flight. There have been a few times I felt like choking some of my fellow passengers, but I refrained.
You are a world traveler however do you have a real job to support your flying first or business class all over the globe? I am curious? Perhaps you know a way to accumulate millions of points to be flying to Serbia first class. On the other hand are you given complimentary flights on various airlines to publish glowing reviews of a specific flight. I was an international purser for 25 years and occasionally I would be called to managers office to be advised that a travel reporter would be on a certain flight on my ID. Of course we did everything possible to wait on him/her head over heels. Which, in any case, I do for every passenger on board a flight segment. Are you also provided an additional pass for a spouse or companion? We all are curious as to what and how you manage to be a globe-trotter/flyer.
Thank you!
I pay for all my travel. I do this through owning a business, writing this blog, and carefully accumulating miles and points.
Should the child have been eating a children’s meal?