Edison High School Senior Saves Man From Choking Using Heimlich Maneuver

A Tulsa man has an Edison High School senior to thank for saving his life at a Taco Bell near 51st and Yale

Noah Lambert said he never expected he'd use a skill he learned four years ago in school to save someone's life or that he'd ever get a standing ovation at a Taco Bell.

"God made me go to Taco Bell and now I saved someone's life," said Lambert.

Edison Senior Noah Lambert stopped at the Taco Bell between classes Thursday afternoon for a bite to eat. That's when he heard hiccupping from around the corner followed by a loud crash.

"First it was oh my goodness, you know, like, man on the ground," said Lambert.

Lambert said the older man was choking, so he rushed to his side.

"He was kind of sitting up barely. He was kind of laying down on his elbow and he was barely up and so I kind of put my hand on his head," said Lambert.

As Lambert lie next to him the man tensed up.

"I really thought that he was passing away. So, it was really scary," said Lambert.

The man rolled on top of Lambert.

"He kind of crushed me down," said Lambert.

Lambert felt for the man's ribs.

"And that's when I gave him the push," said Lambert.

After two tries, "It just rockets out of his mouth."

Once the man caught his breath, he began thanking Lambert.

"It immediately started with a hug," said Lambert.

Lambert said he thought it was pointless he learned the Heimlich Maneuver as a freshman.

"I'm never gonna use this and then, it happened," said Lambert.

Lambert said all he could think was he had to thank Mrs. Mcanany who taught him everything he knows.

"It definitely needs to be taught and you need to listen. It is super important. I mean, if I wasn't there, if my friends and I weren't there, that man would've died," said Lambert.

Oklahoma requires all high school seniors to learn adult CPR, what an AED is and how to do the Heimlich Maneuver before graduation.

"My hope is that they'll always remember this experience when they had to do this skill with Mrs. Mcanany, and you know, like Noah explained. He knew exactly what to do. He knew exactly what to do," said Rachael Mcanany, Assistant Principal.

Mcanany said she was in the hallway when Lambert ran to her.

"He just threw his arms around me and I'm like ok why are we hugging," said Mcanany.

"And I was like, cause you just saved a life today," said Mcanany.

Mcanany said it was all Lambert.

"I'm just so proud of him and again I'm just kind of getting emotional about it because I know the emotions that he felt," said Mcanany.

"I'm just like everyone else. Just a high school kid. That's why you should listen in class," said Mcanany.

This isn't the first time something like this has happened in Green Country. Two weeks ago, an educator at Eliot Elementary used the Heimlich Maneuver on a 5th grader. Then, just last week a Muskogee student stepped in to save his choking classmate.