TCU senior is a lifesaver

What started out as a routine pickup for soccer practice ended up in a lifesaving trip for a Montgomery boy.

On Tuesday, April 26, TCU Senior Nick Navejas, picked up fifth graders Mecca Nightingale and Konnor Korbitz in Montgomery for soccer practice in Le Center. On the way to Nightingale’s house to pick up a forgotten water bottle, Navejas offered the boys his favorite hard butterscotch candies. The boys quickly took the candies when, after a few minutes, Navejas noticed that Korbitz wasn’t doing well.

“Right as we stopped at the driveway, Konnor started choking. I was like, ‘Are you OK?’” Navejas asked

Korbitz responded with arms flailing, pointing to his throat and mouthing the words, “I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!”

Navejas couldn’t believe what was happening.

“I thought, Oh my God, I have to do the Heimlich Maneuver. I have to do something or this guy’s going to choke,” Navejas said. “I was just so stunned. He’s chocking on something and not just, like, water.” 

As Korbitz stood in front of the mailbox trying to pound on his own chest unsuccessfully trying to dislodge the candy in his throat, Navejas jumped out of the truck, and after three attempts, the candy came flying out.

“His face was all red. It was crazy,” Navejas said. “I kept waiting to see that nasty candy come up, and it sure did covered in a pool of spit.”

Although frightening, Korbitz said he is familiar with the feeling of choking on something. He said he has choked on a grape once when it went down his throat too fast. This time when he felt the candy get lodged, blocking off his airway, Korbitz quickly drank some water. When that didn’t work, he knew he was in trouble before Navejas jumped in to save him.

“It was a relief when it finally came out,” he said.

Navejas, the son of Rueben and Cindy Navejas, said he has never had to perform the maneuver on anyone before. He said he had a general idea of how to do it from watching videos.

“It was crazy,” he said.

Korbitz’s mother, Kelly, praised Navejas for his quick thinking in the situation.

“Thank you to Nick for his quick response and jump to action! In a situation like that it would be easy to go into panic mode and the result could have been much different. We are so thankful!” she said. “He is a true hero!” 

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