SOUTHGATE, Mich. – A Metro Detroit school bus driver is being recognized as a local hero after rescuing a choking student who had just been dropped off.
Christina McIver was on her usual route one afternoon, dropping off students from Northpointe Elementary in Southgate. One student, 7-year-old Skyler, got off the bus and walked toward her mother.
McIver, who watches the children like a hawk when they exit the bus, saw a look of terror in the mother’s eyes.
“She turned around to face me, and her mom yelled, ‘She’s choking!’ And instinct just took over,” McIver said. “I ran faster than I ever have.”
McIver ran to the young girl and performed the Heimlich maneuver flawlessly. The bus driver was able to dislodge mucus that had closed the young girl’s throat.
Skyler was sick that day and was terribly congested.
Christina Clark, Skyler’s mom, said her blood pressure and adrenaline were still high days later.
“They haven’t come down yet, I just panicked,” Clark said.
She immediately got her daughter to an ER, and they gave the first grader the all-clear.
“Dean Transportation called me right away, then the principal asking if everything was OK,” McIver said. “The whole community has just been amazing.”
After rescuing the choking student, McIver returned to her bus and drove the remaining children home.
On Tuesday, April 23 night, the Southgate School Board wanted to thank McIver and her employer, Dean Transportation, for their excellent work. Superintendent Sharon Irvine thanked McIver for her care and quick actions.
McIver told Local 4 that, outside of the training Dean Transportation gives its bus drivers, she’s never had to do the Heimlich until now.
“Really, I was just doing my job,” McIver said.