A waitress at an Indiana pancake house took action Monday to save a boy from choking, marking the second time she’s saved a customer’s life.
Beth Tibbles was serving another table at the Original Pancake House in South Bend when she heard the boy in distress and rushed to his aid.
Others in the restaurant appeared to be in shock, but before the others fully realized what was happening, Mr. Tibble had performed the Heimlich maneuver.
“It’s just instinct, like someone else said, it’s survival. When someone is in trouble, you have to help. That’s what humans are supposed to do.” Tibbles told WSBT.
“There’s enough evil in this world. You have to be good. It takes a second to be kind.”
The waitress, who had worked at the popular pancake house for 10 years, sometimes punched a police officer who was eating nearby.
After saving the boy, Tibbles casually grabbed a coffee pot and continued serving customers, witnesses said.
“The coolest thing about this whole thing was that even though it was a scary situation, after she made sure her child was okay, she just grabbed the coffee pot,” diner Ashley Ochap said. “I went on patrol,” he said.
“My husband and I said, ‘Did you just save someone’s life?’ And she said, ‘Yeah,’ and she said, ‘It’s been a different day for her.’ hand.”
Perhaps this heroic act caused less anxiety because Tibbles had experience saving the lives of clients.
She first played the Heimlich more than 10 years ago while working as a waitress in upstate New York.
The boy’s father joked that Tibbles, who has been a waitress for more than 20 years, had enough experience to add a paramedic certification to her resume.
“Keeping this information up to date is critical because in the event of an emergency, 911 may have been called. Police, fire, and medical personnel. It could have taken a few minutes for someone to get the information.” So the fact that she was able to act and react as quickly and calmly as she did was huge,” Ochap said.
Tibbles could not be reached for comment.
South Bend is a city in Indiana near the Michigan border and a few miles from the University of Notre Dame.
