LaPorte Boy, 9, Pronounced Dead Thursday

POSTED: 10:59 am CDT September 14, 2006


LaPORTE, Ind. -- A LaPorte boy has died after choking on a hot dog during lunch at school.

Authorities said 9-year-old Juan Loera choked when a piece of hot dog became lodged in his throat during lunch Wednesday. An emergency medical technician managed to remove the food from the boy's throat, but he was pronounced dead at a South Bend hospital early Thursday.


An autopsy confirmed the obstructed airway led to the boy's death. Administrators and counselors at Hailmann Elementary School spent part of the day helping students and faculty cope with the death.



wow....

nobody attempted to at least give the poor kid the heimlich maneuver?

yeah pretty sad....seemed they only watched.

What an awful way to die.

I'm a terrible person I need to learn the heimlich manuever.
[Edited 9/14/06 12:04pm]

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

you know?!


that poor child...the family...

i'm scared of choking..that's one of my fears and I always avoided reading how to do the H.M ....i guess it's time to read up on it.

funkpill said:

That poor kid.

I choked on a hot dog when I was six...

I remember tryin' call out for my mom.....she turned around and beat the shit out of my back....and up came the hot dog...then she cried ..and then I cried cuz my back hurt from her beatin' the hell out of me.

Rhondab said:

@ your back hurting...


but seriously I get sick when I read about stuff like this when people just stand there watching instead of trying to help. Even a failed attempt is better than just standing there!

Teacher said:

And why do they stand there and watch? because that poor childs parents would probably take legal action against the school for beating there kid on the back, or braking a rib through performing the heimlich badly if he had survived.

Litigation is why people stand and watch.

As it stands the school will probably get taken to court for selling unsuitably sized hot dogs.

This is so tragic! If I was anywhere near that child, I wouldn't hesitate to grab him, and do my best to dislodge that thing from his throat! I wouldn't care if his parents sued me for touching him. Not helping him would haunt my conscience for the rest of my life.