Teen-Ager Rescues Choking Girl, 4

The new year rang in on a happy note for Los Angeles County Fire Dispatcher Eddie Pickett after he helped a 13-year-old baby-sitter save her 4-year-old cousin from choking.

At 7:13 p.m., the preschooler’s 11-year-old brother called 911 because she was choking on a piece of chicken. Pickett asked him to put the teen-ager on the phone because he thought she would be better able to handle the situation.

On a tape of the 911 call, the 13-year-old identifies herself only as Megan, and she is clearly panicked. After listening to Pickett’s instructions on how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, Megan shouted, “I can’t do it! I can’t do it!”

“You can do it,” Pickett told her. “You’ve got to do it.”

After 10 attempts by the teen-ager to force out the piece of chicken, the 4-year-old began crying, a sign that she could breathe.

“Megan, you just saved her,” Pickett said. “You did really good.”

Pickett said helping to save a life was a heartening way to start the new year.

“It kind of makes the year great,” he said. “I’ve never had a feeling like the one I felt after I heard the baby start crying.”

The parents of the 4-year-old were out playing bingo when she started choking. After the incident, the children’s grandparents were contacted and they came to see how the children were doing.

Megan, whose full name was not disclosed, maintained her composure until it was clear the younger girl was safe. Then, said Pickett, she broke down and wept.