Hero barman saves baby from choking on a bottle cap in restaurant
- 8 days ago
A heroic barman has spoken of how he saved the life of a baby after it started choking when a bottle cap became lodged in his throat.
Josh Smith, 32, jumped into action after hearing the cries of the baby’s mother after 20-month old Khalil began to have difficulties breathing after choking on a bottle cap.
Josh, who works at Katana in Peterborough, Cambs, managed to pull the cap out of the baby's mouth in the incident on May 5.
He said: "Khalil’s parents came in sat down and there were served, everything normal but then I heard shouts of ‘he’s choking, he’s choking.’
“I just had to step in. I ran over and placed the baby over my leg, I started with back slaps and then I could finally hear that the airways were clear.
"As I lifted the baby up, the mum told me that it was a bottle cap so I checked the baby’s mouth, managed to get my fingers in to pull the cap out and then the baby began to breathe properly again.
“I was just happy to be involved an to help save Khalil and hopefully he has a long life ahead. I was happy I was around."
Josh summoned up all of his previous first aid experience he gained having held jobs as a coastguard and as an AS90 Gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery.
He added: “15 years later, I was worried my training was out of date but something like this just shows how important taking a course and having the knowledge is.
“It’s nice to have a little bit of acknowledgement, I didn’t expect this level, surely people are saved every day? It’s a bit strange but I am taking it in my stride.
"I am grateful to have had the thanks of the family and that I could be there to make sure that Khalil could live another day."
Since the incident, Josh has been showered with praise for his actions and was given a special thank you at the restaurant on Friday.
Restaurant owner Prem Devkota said: “This was a very unfortunate incident and could have been so much worse had it not been for the quick reaction of our staff and Josh in particular.
"We are incredibly grateful for those efforts and I am pleased to hear that the child is recovering well.”
Josh Smith, 32, jumped into action after hearing the cries of the baby’s mother after 20-month old Khalil began to have difficulties breathing after choking on a bottle cap.
Josh, who works at Katana in Peterborough, Cambs, managed to pull the cap out of the baby's mouth in the incident on May 5.
He said: "Khalil’s parents came in sat down and there were served, everything normal but then I heard shouts of ‘he’s choking, he’s choking.’
“I just had to step in. I ran over and placed the baby over my leg, I started with back slaps and then I could finally hear that the airways were clear.
"As I lifted the baby up, the mum told me that it was a bottle cap so I checked the baby’s mouth, managed to get my fingers in to pull the cap out and then the baby began to breathe properly again.
“I was just happy to be involved an to help save Khalil and hopefully he has a long life ahead. I was happy I was around."
Josh summoned up all of his previous first aid experience he gained having held jobs as a coastguard and as an AS90 Gunner in the Royal Horse Artillery.
He added: “15 years later, I was worried my training was out of date but something like this just shows how important taking a course and having the knowledge is.
“It’s nice to have a little bit of acknowledgement, I didn’t expect this level, surely people are saved every day? It’s a bit strange but I am taking it in my stride.
"I am grateful to have had the thanks of the family and that I could be there to make sure that Khalil could live another day."
Since the incident, Josh has been showered with praise for his actions and was given a special thank you at the restaurant on Friday.
Restaurant owner Prem Devkota said: “This was a very unfortunate incident and could have been so much worse had it not been for the quick reaction of our staff and Josh in particular.
"We are incredibly grateful for those efforts and I am pleased to hear that the child is recovering well.”