Matlacha camp counselor saves 9-year-old’s life

MATLACHA, Fla.- A 9-year-old boy was saved by his camp counselor after choking on a water bottle cap.

Twenty-one-year-old Richie Skerrett has only been a camp counselor for two weeks, but he’s already made a big impact on one family.

Skerrett was working inside Lee County Parks and Recreation’s Matlatcha camp when he saw 9-year-old Brody Bailey crawling toward him.

Bailey had been playing with the water bottle when suddenly, he squeezed too hard and the cap shot back into his throat.

“We were all playing with my water bottle, and it wasn’t on tight. It shot down my throat, said Bailey. “I was thinking that I was gonna die, get hurt.”

“[He] crawled towards me and his face was kind of red, pointed to his throat and I just went down there and did the Heimlich and the bottle cap went out,” said Skerrett.

His quick actions saved Bailey’s life.

“I want him to know that what he did was huge and that I really appreciate it. He saved my kid’s life,” said Kristi Bailey, Brody’s mom.

Skerrett tells WINK News he had only learned the Heimlich manuever right before camp started, and never thought he’d need to use it.

“I was like thank, thank you. I was so happy and relieved the bottle cap came out,” said Skerrett.

He said he was only doing his job, but Bailey’s mom said she needed to tell someone about his incredible actions. So, she called WINK News to give him the credit he deserves.

“How do you repay someone for saving your kid’s life?”

Kristi Bailey works in the medical field, and wants to remind people not to panic if they ever find themselves in that type of situation. She says it was Skerrett’s quick and calm actions that saved her son’s life.