Happy Meal: Teenage McDonald’s worker saves woman from choking to death

A teenager from Minnesota has earned deserving praise for her quick thinking, which saved the life of a customer who was choking on a chicken nugget. The 15 year-old Sydney Raley from Medina, jumped into action the moment she saw a woman in distress. The incident took place at the Eden Prairie branch of McDonald’s, now Golden Arches. 

She first became aware of the situation when attempting to pass food to the woman and her daughter, at the restaurant’s drive-through facility. Raley later recounted the event to KARE11, “I noticed that she was coughing profusely and her daughter just had this look on her face like sheer terror. I could tell oh, crap, she’s choking! Just seeing that visceral reaction I knew we need to act fast.”

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Luckily, she had some Red Cross first aid training, which she received when she became a babysitter at the age of 11. Thus, she knew exactly what needed to be done to save this woman’s life. 

Jumping through the window of the drive-through, Raley rushed to the car, to get the woman out. While she attempted to help her firsthand, the resourceful teenager instructed the daughter to place a call to 911. Relying on her training, Raley attempted to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, but admitted “I’m not really strong so it didn’t work the first couple times.” 

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She did manage to call a bystander for help, and he succeeded in dislodging the particle, which the police later confirmed to be a chicken nugget. Further, the Eden Prairie officers who arrived in response to the call, each gave Raley $50 for her show of heroism. Notably, this money comes from the department’s crime fund, which is meant to reward individuals who go above and beyond to serve their community. 

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Apart from earning the gratitude of local law enforcement, Raley also received praise from her parents, who partly credited her ability to think fast despite being under pressure, to her autism. Her father, Tom, gushed “I always tell her she has a gift, because she’s autistic. She can remember anything – do anything. It’s crazy.”