COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) – The lunch rush at a Georgia Chick-fil-A took a dramatic turn Monday when an employee saved a child who was choking after getting entangled in a tight seat belt.
As the busy part of lunch started to wind down, frantic cries were heard in the drive-thru line, a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page says. The cries were coming from an SUV just outside of the drive-thru window.
According to the online post, a father was seen rushing to the back of his SUV. An employee, Zack “Cowboy” Kokenzie, heard the cries and took action.
A trained Eagle Scout who is CPR-certified, he went over to the car and saw the store director, the father of the child and another customer trying to free the child from the back seat. The post says the other kids in the car were crying.
“The seat belt had become wrapped around the child’s windpipe. Another customer had left his vehicle and was trying unsuccessfully to assist in removing (the) seat belt reaching through the back window. Store director, Justin Williams arrived to provide assistance as well,” according to the post.
Another team member, Zachary Bullock, passed a pair of scissors through the window so Kokenzie could cut the belt and free the child.
Store owner/operator Alex Vann said in a statement that he appreciates the efforts his team went to to save the child.
“Zack and our team acted quickly in rescuing a child from a life-threatening situation. I am proud of Zack, Justin and our team for their quick thinking and quick responses. This could have been far worse, but Zack and others were in the right place, with the right training and the right attitude to potentially save the life of one of our customers.”
Statement from Chick-fil-A restaurant operator Alex Vann on Facebook