BERNARDSTON — Pay attention during those life-saving tutorials offered in school. You might save a life someday.
Just ask Brandon Therien of Turners Falls. He learned the Heimlich maneuver in seventh grade and, now, a woman is alive because of it.
A cook at the Four Leaf Clover restaurant in Bernardston, 30-year-old Therien had finished his shift at 8 p.m. on Saturday and was chatting with co-workers when he heard a woman choking in the eatery’s salad bar room. Therien sprang into action and applied the Heimlich maneuver, saving the woman’s life.
“I feel honored to even have been there,” he said on Tuesday. “It was very scary and I think anyone in that situation is going to be very scared.”
He said he recently moved to Turners Falls and has worked at the restaurant for four years.
Linda Snow, who owns the Four Leaf with her husband, Mark, was not in the restaurant Saturday night but described Therien’s actions as heroic.
“It was amazing. I’m so glad he was there to be able to save her,” she said. “I was very impressed and thanked him the next morning, gave him a big hug, and everybody congratulated him.”
Snow declined to identify the choking victim.
She said the close call has inspired her to explore ways to bring in an instructor to teach her staff life-saving tactics like the Heimlich and CPR. Therien said he was previously certified in CPR and he is interested in becoming re-certified. He encourages everyone to do the same, because you never know when you’ll be called on to help.
You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 257.
On Twitter: @DomenicPoli