When Henry County Tax Assessor employee Krista Boyle heard strange choking sounds coming from one of the restrooms in the Administration Building, she had no idea she was about to be thrust into a life or death situation.

It was approximately 3 o’clock in the afternoon of Halloween, as Boyle was taking a drink from the water fountain on the lower level of the Henry County Administration Building, when she heard strange choking noises coming from the men’s restroom. The next moment, a man exited the restroom in obvious distress and motioned to his throat as if he couldn’t breathe.

“A man came out and he was motioning to me. He was in a panic. His face was red and his eyes were watering and he couldn’t speak. The first thing that went through my mind was that if he’s choking, I don’t know if I’m strong enough to help him,” said Boyle.

Boyle said she ran around the corner to get the police officer on duty but the officer wasn’t in his office, so she ran back to the man, yelled down the hall for help and told another employee, Ellyne Hand, to call 911. There was no one else available to help and the gentleman was doubled over at this point, so she began the Heimlich maneuver on him. On the third try the man began to breathe again.

“I got behind him and started the Heimlich maneuver. About the third time I pushed, he touched my arm and whispered that he was able to breathe. Then we just slumped to the floor,” she said.

While sitting on the floor waiting for the paramedics to arrive, Boyle’s co-workers Eric White and Danny Floyd came over to assist.

When the paramedics arrived they praised Boyle, told her she did all the right things and probably saved the gentleman’s life.

This all transpired in a span of approximately three minutes. Boyle said she did panic at first, but even with no training in first aid, instinct took over and she knew she had to act.

“When it comes right down to it, you hope you would rise to the occasion, but you never know until the situation occurs and my first instinct was I need to get someone else,” she said. “It was all tunnel vision. I just realized I had to try. It seemed like everything was moving in slow motion and even though I was panicked, that panic made me think more clearly.”

She said that later, after the adrenaline high was lost, she broke down in tears. She said the paramedics told her that it’s not unusual to have a release of emotion when coming down from an emergency situation.

Cooper Keller, Deputy Chief Tax Appraiser, praised Boyle for her quick thinking and actions.

“We never know what we might be faced with or how we’ll respond. The word hero is often overused in our society but saving a person’s life qualifies. Thank you Krista for stepping up in a difficult situation, taking charge, and helping someone in dire need. Thanks too to Eric and Danny for being there and providing aid and support in this situation. They all have made us very proud.