Off-duty Jeffersontown firefighter saves life of man who was choking

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- An off-duty Jeffersontown firefighter saved a man's life while he was choking.

Rick Lauterbach was eating dinner with his wife for her birthday at a Chinese restaurant in Jeffersontown. That's when a piece of food got stuck in his throat.

"I realized it was going on, I looked around, there was only one guy in there that was going to be able to help me," Lauterbach said.

That guy was Robert Sawyer Jr.

"He stood up and I saw him wheezing and I looked at him and he couldn't breathe, so I just stood up with the urgency and got behind him and saw him nod his head like 'yeah I want your help,'" Sawyer said.

That's when Sawyer jumped into action and did the Heimlich maneuver. Something Lauterbach said he's grateful for.

"It's great to have people out there that know what to do, when to do it and they not only know what to do but they do it and that was beautiful and glorious," Lauterbach said.

Lauterbach is a pastor in Taylorsville and said he doesn't believe in accidents. He said Sawyer walked in to get carry out at that exact time for a reason.

"If somebody hadn't been there that could've done it, the outcome could've been entirely different, so I count that as providence and grace and mercy," Lauterbach said.

Sawyer is a firefighter in Jeffersontown and said he just put what he knew into action.

"You say you're off, but when you're a fireman, certain situations, you're not really ever off. Afterwards on my ride home I kind of was like 'wow, I kind of just saved someone's life,'" Sawyer said.

Afterwards both mean hugged and had a conversation once Lauterbach caught his breath. Now, they have an unexpected friendship.

"It turned into something great; I make a friend out of it who is half my age, I'm guessing," Lauterbach said.

"We might reach out get lunch one day, get dinner, meet families, you never know," Sawyer said.

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