Acworth police officer saves man from choking

Acworth officer saves second person in a year from choking

Wednesday morning a man choking on a cap from a bottle unsuccessfully tried to flag down drivers for help. He managed to call 911. Police arrived about a minute later. Corporal Tamara Severtson used a device called LifeVac to retrieve the cap from the survivor's throat.

ACWORTH, Ga. - The Acworth Police Department is commending an officer who saved a man from choking, marking the second time she saved someone from choking in a year. 

What we know:

A man called 911 on Tuesday around 10:30 a.m., after he began choking on a water bottle cap, according to the department. 

Acworth Police Corporal Severtson responded to the call within 1 minute, where she found the man at New McEver Road and Acworth Industrial Drive. Corporal Severtson used a LifeVac to suction the bottle cap out of the man’s throat. 

Corp. Severtson and Steven Williams standing together. Courtesy Acworth PD. 

"We run on medical emergencies all the time, but generally, not choking calls," said Corporal Severtson.

EMS officials evaluated the man, identified as Steven Williams, on scene, and say he will make a full recovery, according to Acworth police. 

Body camera footage shows the officer using the LifeVac to save Williams, and them standing together after the rescue. 

Dig deeper:

Last year, the corporal saved a 90-year-old woman from choking at a local assisted living center. It led the department to equip every Acworth officer with the LifeVac device.

Previous Story: Acworth officer saves choking woman, inspires entire department upgrade

The LifeVac Device is a portable device used to remove an object when a person is choking. It creates suction to dislodge the object without pushing it further into the airway, according to the Acworth police. 

About 5,000 lives a year are lost by choking. It's the fourth leading cause of unintentional death.

Brain damage can begin within 4–6 minutes without oxygen.