TAMPA, Fla. — A Pasco County elementary school teacher is a hero to one of her students. That’s because she saved him from choking.

What You Need To Know

  • Fourth grade Trinity Elementary student Ben Perkins was choking on a water bottle cap during class

  • Perkins ran to teacher Stefanie Bozurich, who performed the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the bottle cap

  • Perkins said he thanked God and his teacher when he was able to breathe again 

Fourth grade Trinity Oaks Elementary teacher Stefanie Bozurich was teaching her class in February when student Ben Perkins ran up to her desk waving his hands in a panic and then putting his hands around his neck to let her know that he was choking.

Perkins said he had a plastic water bottle at his desk, and he had poked a small hole in the cap.

“I don’t like a lot of water in my mouth, and I just thought if every other kid was doing it so, like, why can’t I do it?” he said.

When Perkins gave the bottle a hard squeeze, he says the cap flew off into his throat.

“So, once I figured out it’s not coming out, I kind of raised up from my seat and was speed walking to Ms Bozurich because I didn’t want to alarm anybody,” he said, demonstrating his walk to her desk.

When Bozurich realized Perkins was choking, she reached around his rib cage and started performing the Heimlich maneuver, and continued to do so as she moved Perkins out the classroom door.

“And I kind of almost picked him up like this as I was yelling for help,” she said. “So I opened up the door and I kept it open to still call for help. And I Heimliched him one more time and it expelled. I was so relieved. The whole time I kept telling myself, 'Ben will be OK. Ben will be OK.'”

Perkins’ mother Marisa Perkins said she decided there would be no more flimsy plastic water bottles for her son. She ordered some sturdy water bottles with a pull up top.

Ben Perkins said that after he was rescued, he was “just thanking God for saving me, and Ms. Bozurich.”