A 7-year-old boy in Dallas praised his bus driver as a “hero” for saving his life after he swallowed a quarter. The boy, named Preston, was joking with friends shortly before bus surveillance footage captured the moment when he ingested an object.
On September 29, at Seagoville North Elementary School, Preston approached his bus driver, Raquel Radford Baker, believing he was about to vomit. Baker recounted the incident, saying the child seemed unwell, and she instructed him to go ahead and throw up.
Moments later, the young student said a coin was stuck in his throat. Baker sprang into action, taking the boy and performing the Heimlich maneuver as they moved to the sidewalk, as reported by the New York Post.
Surveillance footage captured the intense moments as she administered the life-saving technique, repeating it several times until the quarter was successfully dislodged from the child’s throat. Baker’s quick response and effective actions saved the boy’s life.
The young boy, Preston, expressed his gratitude towards his bus driver by calling her his hero. According to him, she had saved his life, describing her as an angel.
Preston, his mother, and Baker had an emotional reunion where Preston’s mother tearfully thanked Baker for her life-saving actions.
Baker said that as a bus driver that was her first time having to save a child’s life. Preston, on the other hand, has made a promise to avoid putting coins in his mouth in the future.
The video below shows the moment he was saved: