NEWPORT, OR (KPTV) -
A bus driver saved one of his students while on the drive home last week.
It was the quick thinking of the teen's friend and his school bus driver, and the whole rescue was caught on camera.
"These are my kids, I do everything I can to keep them safe and get them to and from school safely," said Jim McIntyre, a bus driver for Mid Columbia Bus Company.
It was only 20 minutes into his regular route when McIntyre knew something was wrong with one of his kids.
"I see a high school girl charging down the aisle towards me screaming. I couldn't make out what she was saying until I pulled the bus over and stopped," said McIntyre.
On the bus ride home, McIntyre found out one of the seniors was in trouble.
At the back of the bus was 17-year-old Nekko Deutsch, choking on a plastic ice cube.
"When I came to the back of the bus, Nekko was back here in the second seat and he was sitting here leaning back in the seat here holding his throat," said McIntyre.
"I don't know what was going on, but I knew I was almost going to pass out because I was starting to lose my vision," said Deutsch.
He said he was drinking from a friend's water bottle which had reusable plastic ice cubes.
That's when one of those cubes ended up stuck in his throat.
While Deutsch was trying to get help, his friends on the bus didn't take him seriously.
"They thought I was joking until my friend Sadie saw my face changed colors," said Deutsch.
Video from inside the bus shows McIntyre stop the bus and quickly rush to the back to help the 17-year-old out.
"The training just kicked in, I didn't even have to think about it. I said, 'Stand up,' and I went around behind him and gave him the Heimlich maneuver," said McIntyre.
The bus driver said he's grateful that his safety and lifesaving training through Mid Columbia Bus Company paid off.
It was something he's never had to use since he started driving this route about three years ago.
"After I checked and made sure he was OK, I gave them all a lecture and said that's why you don't eat on the bus," added McIntyre.
Deutsch is now a little more appreciative of his driver and a little more respectful of the bus rules.
"It was very intensifying, and after that, the whole bus ride was quiet," said Deutsch.
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