Adir Nachmany on his ambucycle
IsraelSeen Exclusive – Saving A Choking Baby On Route 60 On Shabbat
Adir Nahmany is a full-time Member of the municipality in the southern city Be’er Sheva. On the weekends, when he is not busy with meetings, Adir does what he is most passionate about, volunteering as an EMT with United Hatzalah. On March 13th, just after noon, Adir was finishing up his Shabbat meal with his life partner when he was alerted to a nearby choking incident.
The coordinates of the incident were four minutes away, at the Omer Junction on Route 60. A 7-month-old baby boy found half of a broken laundry peg lying on the floor. The curious boy put the shiny piece of plastic in his mouth and swallowed it. The object soon became lodged in his throat, blocking his airway and placing the child in critical danger. The baby’s father noticed his son was struggling to breathe and scooped the baby up in his arms.
The baby’s father started speeding towards the hospital but there simply wasn’t enough time. In a panic, the boy’s father pulled over and called the emergency hotline from the highway. Adir arrived swiftly on his ambucycle, at the same time as a mobile intensive care ambulance.
The ambulance’s paramedic and Adir recognized each other as friends and rushed to the baby together, who was now blue and not breathing at all Placing the infant carefully in the ambulance, the paramedic held the baby’s mouth open as Adir managed to reach inside with his fingers and slowly pull the piece of plastic out.
With the piece now expelled from the baby’s throat, Adir was relieved to hear the baby crying and sucking in deep breaths of oxygen. Within moments, his skin complexion returned to a healthier hue. The little boy’s father thanked Adir and the paramedic for saving his baby’s life and both father and son were then loaded into the ambulance and taken to the Soroka Medical Center for further care and observation.
“Teamwork, speed, agility, and composure are the reasons the baby boy is alive today,” said Adir. “When I was 18, I served as a combat paramedic in the IDF, it has always been my passion. Today, I am 38 and responding to close to 1,000 emergencies a year. Since I have many years of experience, I prioritize doing the job in the most professional and composed way possible, this helps me focus on the real danger, especially when you have a ticking clock on your back. Thankfully, I got there just in time, and with the help of my friend, we saved a life.”
