A 16-year-old off-duty lifeguard saved the life of an Orland Park (Ill.) Public Library staff member April 13 when she dislodged a pretzel that was stuck in the man’s throat. Terri Burke had spent the morning across the street from the library getting refresher lifeguard training for the 2002 season.
“My friend and I decided to go to the library after training because we were right there anyhow,” Burke told the April 24 Chicago Daily Southtown. As they sat at a table outside the staff lunchroom, they saw a staff member “running around asking for help” for Head of Circulation Services Howard Griffin, who by this time was blue in the face and on the ground.
Burke administered a technique she called an “abdominal thrust,” which forced the pretzel to move slightly, allowing some air to pass into Griffin’s lungs. By that time, paramedics had arrived and taken over.
Library Director Sharon Wsol said she was told that Griffin might have died had Burke not acted. “To say our staff was impressed by this young lady’s quick thinking and heroic actions, that would be a bit of an understatement,” Wsol said. She told American Libraries that she is working to have Burke’s actions recognized publicly by either the Village Board or the Fire District.
Posted April 29, 2002.