By Gabby Ferreira
The Tribune
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — A student waiting to interview for a paramedic internship got the chance to put his training to work Wednesday when he saved the life of a choking man at a San Luis Obispo coffeehouse.
Will Stewart, a Sacramento State student, was hanging out with some other internship candidates at Coastal Peaks Coffee on South Higuera Street Wednesday morning before his appointment at San Luis Ambulance when he noticed a nearby man in sudden distress.
“I just kinda stopped,” Stewart said. “I saw him choking and did the Heimlich maneuver, two to three abdominal thrusts.”
Coastal Peaks owner Mike Knight was leaving his office to go out to the cafe area when he heard someone choking.
“Within less than 2 seconds, I looked up to see who it was and there was a young man giving this man the Heimlich maneuver. It was that quick,” Knight said.
“I was amazed that this young man had sense enough to realize what was happening so quickly and get over there,” Knight said. “Thank God he was here.”
Fred Motlo, a San Luis Ambulance field supervisor who helped interview the interns, said he knew nothing of the incident when he met with Stewart.
“We didn’t know!” Motlo said. “No one told us until after the fact.”
“He was very humble about the event and he didn’t mention it to us,” Motlo said.
So did Stewart end up getting the internship? Yep.
Chalk this up to a case of good things happening to a good person who was at the right place at the right time.
Copyright 2017 The Tribune