Diner called a life-saver with Heimlich maneuver - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Diner called a life-saver with Heimlich maneuver

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By Stephanie Springer - bio | email
Tim Wiggins, left is congratulated by Lane's father Tim Wiggins, left is congratulated by Lane's father
To the family of 27-year-old Jason Lane, Tim Wiggins is a hero To the family of 27-year-old Jason Lane, Tim Wiggins is a hero
Lane got a piece of steak caught in his throat Lane got a piece of steak caught in his throat

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TIFTON, GA (WALB) -

The Heimlich maneuver is a skill many of us know but few have ever had to use. But an alert diner at a busy Tifton restaurant performed it when he noticed a man a few tables away was choking.

He said it was just the right thing to do, but the family of the man he helped save says he's a hero.

When Tim Wiggins walked into Logan's steakhouse for dinner, little did he know he'd walk out a hero. To the family of 27-year-old Jason Lane, that's exactly what he is.

Wiggins was eating dinner at Logan's the same time as Jason Lane. Lane was just across the way, eating with his little girl. All of a sudden, he got a piece of steak lodged in his throat.

"I stood up beside the table and couldn't speak," he said.

"Someone asked 'Is that guy chocking?' I said 'I believe he is,'" said Wiggins.

That's when Wiggins he took matters into his own hands. "He saw that I was in trouble and he asked if I was okay, and I shook my head no. I took off to the restroom and he followed behind me," said Lane.

And they made it to the bathroom in the nick of time. "When we got in there, he pretty much was getting limp," said Wiggins.

That's when he performed the Heimlich, and Lane coughed the steak out. "No, never did have to use it, but it came back in a flash," said Wiggins.

He thought nothing of what he did, until he saw a heartfelt thank you someone had written in the rant and rave section in the Tifton Gazette. "Then I began to think, you possible saved someone's son father, and that's when it hit."

 If Wiggins had not followed behind Lane, it could have been a very different outcome. "No one else in the restaurant even took notice, but he was on cue. He took action and didn't waste any time," said Lane.

Thanks to the actions of one man, he did. "Just to see him walk back to that table and stand there with his little girl, yeah it made me feel good, for him and her," said Wiggins. "It's just one of those things, I'm glad to be there to help him."

Sometimes you have to get involved, It could save someone's life.