NEWBURGH – Horizons on the Hudson Head Custodian Tommy Boyd recently came to the aid of a student in need and became a hero to students and staff in his building. During the 2nd grade lunch period, a student was eating his lunch with the other students, talking, laughing and enjoying his friends when he suddenly stopped speaking and appeared distressed. Students quickly realized their classmate was choking.
Boyd, the school’s Head Custodian, frequently stays in the cafeteria during the lunch periods.
He was near the student’s table and immediately recognized the signs that the child could not breathe. Boyd, having been originally trained in choking rescue during his military service, training he has maintained since that time, quickly assessed the situation and delivered the Heimlich maneuver without hesitation. The large piece of food was immediately ejected and the student breathed easily. This is not the first time Boyd has performed this heroic deed, in 2014 he saved a student at Gardnertown School in Newburgh.
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