An Oban bar worker has recalled the moment she saved the life of a punter as he choked on food in her pub.
Lucy Anderson had just a split second to act during her shift in The Lorne bar on Wednesday as she realised the customer was in distress.
The 23-year-old said the man – who has not been named – had initially tried to solve the problem himself by drinking a pint of Tennant’s.
But as his condition got worse, Lucy had to act quickly and perform the Heimlich manoeuvre in front of a pub-full of people.
Speaking after the distressing incident – which happened just before the Wednesday pub quiz – she told The P&J she was still “in a bit of a haze”.
‘I knew I had to step in’
The bar worker, who has worked at the Lorne since 2018, said: “I went over to check if the customers were enjoying their food.
“I noticed that one of the customers was choking. I did the Heimlich manoeuvre which I had training on the technique about two years ago when I had a carer’s job.
“But I had never had to do it on a real person before.”
Lucy – who is 5ft 7 – said the man was shorter than her and of a slim build, which made helping him slightly easier.
Lucy, who grew up in Bonawe near Oban, continued: “He was choking on a bit of chicken and haggis so it was easy to dislodge.
“He had been coughing for a wee bit before I spoke to him, and I think he had tried to wash it away with a pint of Tennant’s.
“But he could not get it under control.
“By the time I saw him, he was panicked and blue in the face. I think that his distress might have been making it worse for him.
“His friend stood up and I thought he was going to help him – but then in a matter of 10 seconds or so, I decided just to do it myself.
“I just grabbed him. I was behind him already and I just put my arms around him and did the manoeuvre.”
Lucy applauded by customers
Lucy said she was left rosy-cheeked when the whole pub broke into applause after the man recovered.
She continued: “The man kept saying thank you, and he tried to give me money.
“But he didn’t need to, no one wants to see anyone blue in the face and struggling to breathe. Anyone would have done the same.
“It was a situation where it was fight or flight, and I just decided to fight to help the man.”
Graeme Bass, who runs the popular weekly quiz, added: “Lucy acted promptly, professionally and perfectly to save a life.”
