Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly Saves Choking Woman During Event In Palm Coast

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Palm Coast, FL - Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly may have saved a woman's life on Wednesday night.

Staly was attending a "Meet the Candidates" event for the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture at Pine Lakes Golf Club in Palm Coast on April 11 when he noticed a woman choking. The woman, Sharon Demers, couldn't speak but signaled to the Sheriff that she was choking.

Staly performed the Heimlich maneuver on Demers, and on the fourth attempt, he successfully dislodged the food that was stuck in her airway. Demers let Staly know that she could breathe again, and thanked him for saving her life. “I’m just so grateful to Sheriff Rick Staly for saving my life,” Demers said. “He was in the right place at the right time. I don’t think I would have survived if he hadn’t been there. He was even kind enough to sit next to me for the rest of the evening to make sure I was okay.” Demers declined further medical treatment

According to FCSO's Public Affairs Office Manager, Brittany Kershaw, the entire room erupted in applause for the quick thinking Sheriff after the successful Heimlich maneuver. “I saw the commotion and saw the Sheriff quickly spring to action,” said Flagler County Commissioner Greg Hansen, who was also at the event. “This could have easily been a tragedy if not for the Sheriff’s quick response.”

“If anybody has a guardian angel it was Sharon Demers tonight and it came in the form of a Sheriff,” said Crime Stoppers President Edward Fuller. “He saved her life; there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.”

“I’m just happy that she is okay,” Sheriff Staly said. “I would hope that anyone in my position would have done the same thing.”

Photo of Sharon Demers and Sheriff Rick Staly courtesy FCSO.

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