HILLIARD, OH (WCMH)–It was only the second day of classes as Alton Darby Elementary in Hilliard, when something horrific happened on the playground during lunch.
Chuck Burkhart, a physical education teacher, was on recess duty at the time.
“One of the students came up and said ‘Evan is choking,’ and you don’t think much of it,” said Burkhart. “And I am walking towards Evan and it’s evident once I see his face that it’s serious.”
Nine-year-old Evan Stiverson could not talk, and Burkhart’s training kicked in. He started the Heimlich maneuver to try and help the choking student.
“And that didn’t work, so I started getting a little more aggressive with the Heimlich and he passed out,” explained Burkhart.
Evan was out for over a minute. Another teacher went for more help, and clinic assistant Sara Jayme rushed in to assist.
“It took about five big compressions and it finally came flying out, the whole chicken nugget,” explained Jayme.
Soon after, Evan’s mother Candy arrived at the school. She took one look at her son and knew something serious had happened.
“When I got to the school he was pretty white, just white as a sheet, and the office was full of people, and everyone was very concerned,” she said.
Evan was transported to Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and after hours of testing he was released and is doing just fine. The Stiversons said they cannot thank the Hilliard school district enough.