10-year-old boy saves choking classmate

ROCK HILL, SC -- A South Carolina boy who choked on a chicken nugget in his school lunch has his 10-year-old classmate to thank for saving his life.

WBTV reports Damariyon Pichardo, 10, jumped into action when he realized his friend, Thomas Adkins, couldn't breathe after popping his last chicken nugget in his mouth. Pichardo performed life-saving abdominal thrusts he'd learned from his mother.

"My mom, she went to nursing school and then, like, she taught us how to do it before, and that came to mind when he started choking," Pichardo said. "It takes a couple of minutes for the ambulance to get there, so it's best that you know how to do it."

Teachers took Adkins to the school nurse, but he returned to class shortly after the incident.

WBTV adds that both boys didn't let the close call change their thoughts on the menu.

Pichardo said with a laugh, "I like the chicken nuggets."