A Bowling Green Police Division officer was presented with a meritorious service award Monday evening for saving a man choking on a bone in a fish sandwich.
Mayor Mike Aspacher presented the award to Officer Mike Geiman during a Bowling Green City Council meeting.
On March 7, Bobbie Barnett, 73, of Bowling Green, was sitting in the parking lot of the Circle K on North Main Street, when he started choking on the sandwich. An emergency call was placed requesting help, and Geiman arrived soon after to find Barnett sitting in the driver’s seat of a car, choking.
Others had tried to help him, Barnett said, describing efforts of girls who were screaming and beating his back.
But nothing worked until Geiman arrived on the scene, pulled Barnett from the vehicle and performed the Heimlich Maneuver on him. After three tries, the food was dislodged.
Barnett said he was close to passing out from lack of oxygen.
“If he hadn’t been there, I would have died,” he said of Geiman. “He surely saved my life. I wanted to be here to shake his hand and pat his back.”
Geiman said it was a matter of his training kicking in that made it possible for him to save Barnett.
Police Chief Tony Hetrick said it’s not often that people have the chance to have such an impact in someone’s life.
“I’m proud of him. I’m proud of what he did,” Hetrick said of Geiman.
