Off-duty HBPD officer saves choking man

By ryan Paice islander reporter

Sometimes the call of duty goes beyond jurisdiction and work hours.

Palmetto resident Jim Ward told The Islander April 13 that Holmes Beach Police Sgt. Tom Frasier saved his life April 4 by performing the Heimlich maneuver on him when he started choking during dinner with his family at Cracker Barrel, 636 67th St. Circle E., Bradenton.

“We were sitting there waiting for our meal and I took a drink of water. It went down fine but about two minutes later I guess it decided to come up,” Ward said. “When it did, it choked me, and I couldn’t breathe at all.”

Ward said his sister-in-law went to help him when a man he only knew as “Tommy” realized what was happening and sprang into action.

“Tommy” is HBPD Sgt. Tom Frasier.

“He gave me three really quick jerks. On the second one, the water came out. And the third one, I started breathing,” Ward said. “If it wasn’t for him, I would be dead right now. … The waitress didn’t even see it. The manager didn’t see it.”

“The only way I knew to thank that man was I snuck out and I paid for his meal for him and his family,” Ward added. “I owe my life to Tommy. … I’m 80 but I’m not ready to exit yet.”

Ward said he wished he could do more for Frasier, who he believed should be recognized for his actions.

Frasier told The Islander April 13 that he was lucky to even be at the Cracker Barrel instead of a nearby Sonny’s BBQ.

“I was just coming back from Busch Gardens with my family and we decided to stop at Cracker Barrel for a late dinner,” Frasier said. “I said to my family, ‘Do you want to go to Sonny’s BBQ or Cracker Barrel? And my daughter said ‘Let’s just go to Cracker Barrel.’”

He said his daughter made a powerful comment after it was all over. She said, “If we went to Sonny’s we would have seen an ambulance pull up to Cracker Barrel and wonder what was going on there.”

Frasier said his daughter saw Ward choking first and told him what was happening.

“I just automatically went into my training,” Frasier said. “He was sitting directly behind me, so I just moved my chair and got behind him. I made sure he was choking, which he was, so I gave him four or five Heimlich thrusts and he was breathing again.”

The Heimlich maneuver is an emergency technique used to dislodge an obstruction in the windpipe — air is forced up the windpipe by applying sudden, sharp pressure to the abdomen just below the rib cage.

“(Ward) bought me and my family dinner that night and that was good enough for me. But he didn’t even need to do that,” Frasier said. “He seemed like a really nice guy when I met him, so I’m just glad I was there.”

The officer found himself in a situation similar to

Ward’s a couple of years ago, when he began choking on coffee while eating a meal with other Holmes Beach police officers, who did the Heimlich.

“I know exactly what that guy was going through,” he said.

Frasier also assisted Manatee County Sheriff’s Deputy Jared Leggett Jan. 19 in resuscitating MCSO Sgt. Brett Getman, who suffered a heart attack while at the Anna Maria substation.