McAlester Legislator Recognized For Saving Man Choking At Banquet

Oklahoma Rep. Brian Renegar was recognized Tuesday in the House of Representatives chamber for performing the Heimlich Maneuver on a man who began choking during a banquet in February. 

A.J. Bristow, a rancher and Conservation Board member from McAlester, was attending a banquet in Oklahoma City on February 28 when he choked on a piece of steak during the dinner and he was unable to breathe, the House of Representatives wrote Wednesday in a news release. 

McAlester native Renegar, who was seated next to Bristow, performed the Heimlich Maneuver to dislodge the meat. 

Bristow’s son, Darren, mailed a letter to the Speaker’s Office, applauding the legislator for his “heroic actions that night.”

House Speaker Charles McCall read a commendation issued by Gov. Mary Fallin Tuesday to Renegar. 

The commendation praised Renegar for “service above and beyond” when he saved Bristow's life.

Renegar, who's a veterinarian, said he learned the Heimlich Maneuver during a health and safety course he took while earning his undergraduate degree at Northeastern State University in Tahlequah. 

View the reading of the commendation here or view below.