First Student school bus driver Paul Perry acted fast and saved a choking student while on board the school bus last month.
According to a Facebook post by West Seneca Central School District in New York, Perry realized that one of the West Elementary students on his bus was in distress. Another student on board, Aiden Brown, initially tried to assist fifth-grader John Margarone and alerted Perry to the incident. He pulled over, ran to the back of the bus, and performed the Heimlich maneuver. A gummy bear was then dislodged from the boy’s throat.
According to the district’s transportation web page students are advised to not eat or drink on the school bus.
“It happened fast. I was concerned about the student’s emotional and physical state based on what he’d just been through, but he assured me he was okay,” the Facebook post relayed from Perry.
The school district added that the boy’s father, John Margarone, Sr., met the bus the following Friday morning at pickup and thanked Perry.
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Perry said he received basic first aid and CPR training/certification at the local Boy Scouts First Aid Rally.
Dr. Kristen Frawley, the principal for West Elementary School, added that Perry is a wonderful person as well as a reliable bus driver. “He has that sort of chill personality that helps him get the job done without any excitement, and I think it served our student well that day,” she said. “He just did what he needed to, and all ended well.”
The West Seneca Board of Education recognized Perry at a Jan. 3 meeting.
