Terrifying Moment Dad Performs the Heimlich on Choking Son to Save His Life

The terrifying moment a family’s steak night went from delicious to disastrous has gone viral, as the Heimlich maneuver was an unexpected addition to the evening.

Clay Batchelor, 38, was enjoying dinner with his family at their home in Houston on September 30 when things took a turn for the worst. As they ate steaks, Batchelor’s younger son, Keldin, 14, began to choke and quickly turned to his older brother for help.

Despite his brother’s best efforts to perform the Heimlich, Keldin continued to choke, so their dad stepped in. Batchelor told Newsweek that he did “the proper, lifesaving technique.”

Batchelor’s heroics instantly went viral after footage of the “deadly steak night” appeared on his @claybra TikTok account. In a matter of days, the video has gained more than 3 million views and 239,200 likes.

“When Keldin first started choking, I wanted to immediately perform the Heimlich maneuver, but my eldest son, who was closer, began the attempt. I assumed he knew the correct technique, but he was slightly off, so his mother told me to take over,” Batchelor said.

“This hasn’t happened since my kids were toddlers, but I wasn’t overly worried. Many people commented on how calm we were, and I think it’s because everyone trusts that, in any situation, I will handle it appropriately,” Batchelor continued.

Thankfully, Keldin was fine after the choking incident, which wasn’t even the first thing to go wrong that night. Batchelor explained that the grill had exploded earlier in the evening, burning some of his hair, beard and chest hair.

The family likely won’t forget this eventful dinner for a long time, and Batchelor jokingly said they “won’t be having steak for a while.”

What Is the Heimlich Maneuver?

The Heimlich maneuver is a first-aid method to help adults or children when they’re choking. Dr. Henry Heimlich invented the technique in 1974 after discovering that upward thrusts under the rib cage can cause the remaining air in a person’s lungs to dislodge a foreign object.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, the correct way to perform the Heimlich maneuver is to stand behind the choking person with arms around their abdomen, make a fist with one hand and clasp the other tightly around it. With the thumb of the fist placed just below their rib cage, begin to thrust the hands inward and upward five times. This should be repeated until the object is successful dislodged.

There are occasions when the Heimlich maneuver shouldn’t be performed, however. It’s recommended that if an infant under the age of 12 months starts choking, backslaps should be used instead. Additionally, if a person is unconscious or they can still talk while choking, they shouldn’t receive the Heimlich.

How Did Social Media React?

Since being shared on TikTok last week, the viral post has already gained more than 2,200 comments. Plenty of social media users praised Batchelor for remaining calm during such a dramatic moment.

One commenter wrote, “The dad immediately making sure he knows how to do it right.”

Another TikTok user said: “THIS is how you save someone’s life. Calm, cool and collected.”

“How y’all control your nervous system like this? Genuine question because that’s a great skill,” another commented.

Another user said, “I applaud the calmness over the situation, panic can make things far worse.”

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