NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Adam Ursone and Sunny Richards were honored for saving a woman’s life last week on Wednesday at the Chapel Haven Schleifer Center in New Haven.
Shawn Feldman was eating a ham sandwich wrap with friend Richards, Director of Community Programs at the center, in the café inside when she began to choke. It was then that Richards reportedly attempted the Heimlich to no avail.
Ursone, a work-based learning specialist at the center, was also in the café when he heard Richard’s cries for help from across the room. Ursone stepped into action to save Feldman by first “slapping her on the back and ordering her to put her hands up in the air.” He recalls that this original maneuver did not work, so he used “four to five thrusts of the Heimlich” until he heard Feldman say “ow” which alerted him of her breathing.
Ursone, along with his co-workers, is trained by the Red Cross every two years on sight at the Chapel Haven Schleifer Center.
“Thank god (Richards) was there to actually see her struggling,” Ursone said, as he may not have seen or heard of the problem if it wasn’t for Sunny’s immediate call to action.
Chapel Haven President Michael Storz expressed his extreme gratitude at today’s press conference honoring his two employees.
“I am so proud of both staff for stepping in and acting so quickly," Storz said. "You never know how you will respond in such an urgent situation. (Richards) and Ursone would not give up and persevered. We are grateful for their efforts."
According to a release from Chapel Haven, choking is the fourth leading cause of unintentional injury death. Richard Branigan, Chief Operating Officer of the American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region encourages “everyone to take lifesaving courses, so they'll have the knowledge and confidence to act in an emergency, just like Sunny and Adam."
Ursone also urges others to “remain calm and act” in situations of crisis.
---
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
iTunes: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.