Bethesda bartender gets Christmas surprise
A bartender at a Bethesda restaurant went from serving drinks to saving lives last month, thanks to his quick and decisive reactions.
On December 10, 2016, a customer at the Oakville Grille and Wine Bar began to eat a steak dinner, only to start choking, according to an article in Bethesda Magazine. His friends were unable to dislodge the obstruction and called 911, but it was apparent medical aid would not arrive in time. The man, who remains unidentified, said he remembered thinking “this is a really stupid way to die” just before he passed out.
Darko Stankovic, the bartender and a former lifeguard, came to the rescue. He leaped over the bar and performed the Heimlich maneuver on the patron, who soon regained consciousness.
The patron went even further, and later that day tried to give Stankovic a cash reward, but the bartender refused it. A few days later, the man sent Stankovic a Christmas card—with a $5,000 check inside. On the card, he wrote he knew it wasn't necessary for him to send a reward, but he also knew he would have died without Stankovic's help. Stankovic made it possible for him to enjoy the holiday was his family, and he hoped his check would make the bartender's holiday with his family a bit more festive.
This story has a happy ending because Stankovic knew first aid. Restaurants like this could benefit by working with poster printing companies, which can create posters about emergency medical techniques to be posted in the establishment.
On December 10, 2016, a customer at the Oakville Grille and Wine Bar began to eat a steak dinner, only to start choking, according to an article in Bethesda Magazine. His friends were unable to dislodge the obstruction and called 911, but it was apparent medical aid would not arrive in time. The man, who remains unidentified, said he remembered thinking “this is a really stupid way to die” just before he passed out.
Darko Stankovic, the bartender and a former lifeguard, came to the rescue. He leaped over the bar and performed the Heimlich maneuver on the patron, who soon regained consciousness.
The patron went even further, and later that day tried to give Stankovic a cash reward, but the bartender refused it. A few days later, the man sent Stankovic a Christmas card—with a $5,000 check inside. On the card, he wrote he knew it wasn't necessary for him to send a reward, but he also knew he would have died without Stankovic's help. Stankovic made it possible for him to enjoy the holiday was his family, and he hoped his check would make the bartender's holiday with his family a bit more festive.
This story has a happy ending because Stankovic knew first aid. Restaurants like this could benefit by working with poster printing companies, which can create posters about emergency medical techniques to be posted in the establishment.