'He was very blue': Passing stranger saves baby's life in supermarket car park

Friday, 11 February 2022

Summar Tasker, 21, performed CPR on a choking baby in a Christchurch car park and saved his life.

As the baby boy lying in a supermarket car park stopped breathing, Summar Tasker jumped into action to save his life.

A spur of the moment decision to stop at the Pak 'n Save supermarket on Moorhouse Ave, Christchurch, on Thursday morning quickly turned into a dramatic life-or-death situation for the 21-year-old outdoor adventure guide.

It was “pure luck” that she was there at all.

“I came over for the day from the West Coast to get my wisdom teeth out,” Tasker said. “I was planning on going home but then all the roads were closed because of the flooding, so instead I went to the supermarket to get some soft foods.”

* Bodycam shows two US police officers save a choking baby in a busy intersection

Approaching the entrance to the supermarket, she noticed a group of people “standing around” in the car park.

Tasker says the baby started to breathe again just as the ambulance arrived. (File photo)

“Something didn't look right. I went over and said 'what's going on?’ A little baby, just under a year old, had choked on a marshmallow,” she said.

“They were trying to dislodge whatever was in his throat. I went over and started my first aid as I have been taught to do. He started to go very blue, he was unresponsive and not breathing, so that's when I started CPR.”

The baby boy was placed on a jersey on the ground before Tasker performed CPR on his tiny chest in front of his “distraught parents”.

“I don't know how long I was doing CPR, it is hard to know how much time passed, but then I finally heard a gurgle, a breath of air and his eyes started to move, and it was the biggest relief ever,” Tasker said.

“He started to breathe again, and I was like 'oh, thank God'. That's when the ambulance turned up, it was good timing.”

There were “15 to 20 people” standing around when Tasker arrived on the scene.

“Everyone wanted to help, but nobody knew CPR. A big thanks to everyone else there, it was a group effort – people ringing the ambulance, people sorting traffic, a lady who helped hold his head, opening airways, someone comforting his parents and crowd control.”

She had since been contacted by the baby's grateful father, Grant Smith, after Smith posted the following plea online:

“To whoever it was that helped us at Pak 'n Save Moorhouse before the ambo and fire brigade turned up and did the chest compressions on our son due to him choking, you are a godsend. I can't thank you enough from the bottom of my heart.”

Grant Smith, pictured in 2012, is grateful for Tasker’s swift actions, which saved his baby son’s life. (File photo).

Tasker was identified less than 10 minutes after Smith made his heartfelt post.

“He was able to tell me that they were in hospital and baby is OK,” Tasker said.

“I really feel for the family, it's such an easy thing to happen … little ones always grab things with their little fists so fast.”

Tasker learnt first aid skills for her role as an outdoor adventure guide. These skills helped save a baby's life this week.

She said she felt her “heart jump” with sadness when Smith told her he had previously lost a child in tragic circumstances.

His 8-month-old son Jayden Harris died when a television fell on him during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, while he was asleep in the living room of his Riccarton home.

A St John spokesperson said paramedics were called to a medical incident in Sydenham at 9.42am on Thursday. One ambulance and one rapid response unit responded.

One person was taken in to Christchurch Hospital in serious condition.

St John’s head of first aid training, Julian Price, emphasised the importance of recognising when someone needed help and acting swiftly.

“If you are trained in first aid, follow the appropriate steps you’ve been taught in relation to the situation and patient,” Price said.

“In an emergency, call 111, ask for an ambulance and stay on the line and follow the directions of the emergency call handler. If you don’t know how to perform CPR, the emergency call handler on the line will provide guidance.”

Tasker was trained in pre-hospital emergency care for her role, and had recently done a refresher first aid course.

“You have all this first aid training, but you never think you will have to use it, let alone on a baby,” she said.

“It was definitely a case of the right time, right place. I hope my experience encourages people to learn first aid – you never know when someone is going to need your help.”

St John is operating first aid training courses in person and online. To make a booking, visit www.stjohn.org.nz/firstaid