OJAI : 4 Honored for Saving Choking Boy’s Life

Four staff members at Nordhoff High School in Ojai were honored by the school board for saving the life of a student who nearly choked to death after stuffing six doughnuts into his mouth.

According to those who came to his aid, junior David Colker was trying to impress his classmates when he began choking.

“He was goofing off, trying to show his friends how fast he could consume those doughnuts, and got himself in trouble,” said Principal Michael Maez, one of the four who were honored last week by the Ojai Unified School District board.

When Colker first began choking, fellow students tried to help him, but without success.

When Maez arrived, along with cafeteria manager Denise Hawkins, counselor Roy Rodriguez and health teacher Del Garst, they worked together to perform the life-saving Heimlich maneuver.

“I think the guy was without oxygen for about four minutes,” Maez said. “He was really turning dark purple. But we got the stuff out, got him breathing and saved the young man’s life.”

Colker said all he could remember was feeling sick.

“I thought I was going to throw up, and there was a ton of pressure in my head,” he said. “Everything just started getting real slow from that point. I yelled for help, but nothing came out.”

The 16-year-old, who has since counseled younger children about the dangers of playing with food, is thankful and grateful to those who saved him.

“Some people say there’s a second life,” he said. “Everything I do now . . . has a purpose. It was never like that before.”