Teen Saves Friend From Choking At School During Lunch

Nov 24, 2022

What started as an ordinary day at school quickly turned into a life or death situation for one student. Jackson Johnson was enjoying his chicken sandwich at lunch with his friends when something went terribly wrong. Something went down his throat in a way that resulted in the food getting lodged, causing Jackson to begin choking. No matter how much he tried to cough it up or spit it out, the food remained stuck in his throat. Jackson couldn’t breathe.

The incident took place at West Jordan Middle School in West Jordan, Utah, back in October 2020. While Jackson was struggling to breathe, his friends thought he was just joking around, and they even picked on him for not swallowing his food correctly. However, their looks of amusement quickly turned into looks of concern as the students realized that there was something seriously wrong with their friend and that he was in dire need of help.

Fortunately, Hunter Olsen, one of Jackson’s friends, sprung into action to perform the Heimlich maneuver. It was something that he had never done before, but Hunter knew that he needed to give it his all in order to save his friend’s life. The moment was captured by security footage from West Jordan Middle School and has since gone on to be seen by thousands of people from all over the world.

It’s clear that Hunter is not only an amazing friend but also a hero, as his efforts thankfully paid off. Read on to find out more about how one student helped save his friend’s life.

In October 2020, KSL-TV reported that a West Jordan Middle School student helped save another student’s life thanks to what he learned from his health teacher. A group of friends were sitting together at lunch when one student, Jackson, began choking on his chicken sandwich. At first, his friends laughed it off and made fun of him, but they quickly realized that something was wrong. Jackson signaled that he was choking, and his friend Hunter quickly sprung into action.

According to the Los Angeles Daily Tribune, Hunter performed the Heimlich maneuver on his friend to help him stop choking. A video captured from inside the school’s cafeteria and uploaded by Humankind by USA Today showed the heroic moment that Hunter stepped up to help save his friend’s life.

“I went to the garbage can to see if I could cough it out. It didn’t happen,” Jackson explained. He then showed Hunter that he wasn't joking. Hunter quickly jumped to his feet and performed the Heimlich on his friend, repositioning his body to get a better angle. “Well, I just thought that doing something was better than doing nothing,” Hunter said, recalling the frantic moment. Thankfully his efforts paid off, and Jackson was able to breathe again.

Several students later made their way to find health teacher Kathy Howa to tell them about how Hunter used what he learned in class about first aid and CPR to save Jackson’s life. Howa was immensely proud of Hunter and grateful to know that her students were really listening to the topics she taught them. It’s clear that Hunter’s knowledge and quick thinking helped him jump into action in time to help his friend breathe again.

What did you think about this student’s act of heroism? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family members and friends to find out what they think, too.