PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In between swimming prelims and winning the 400-meter individual medley, West Chester University swimmer Logan Brockway ate lunch.
And saved a woman’s life.
The West Chester senior was in York last week for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference championships. He started the morning strong with warmups and a preliminary swim. Before the finals, he and fellow swimmer Stephen Dow went to the York Galleria mall for a quick bite to eat.
“[Dow] sat down, he noticed the woman choking and said, ‘Hey, I think that woman's in trouble,’ ” Brockway recalled. “So we hopped up and we walked over. And the guy over there seemed a little hesitant, he didn’t exactly know what to do. So, again, my teammate Dow spoke up and was like, ‘Logan’s a lifeguard, he can help.’ So I stepped in and started giving her the Heimlich and started trying to give her assistance.”
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Brockway performed the Heimlich for a few minutes before paramedics arrived. By the time they got there, she was able to breathe.
“She walked away from the situation completely fine,” he said.
Brockway, who’s taken lifeguard and related training since he was 16, admitted it was a little scary, but he felt comfortable stepping in. “I never had to do it before, but I knew what I was doing. … I was prepared and I felt confident I could help her.”
Dow and Brockway didn’t exchange words with the woman after that. They just went about their day — after all, they had a competition to focus on that afternoon.
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“Once that happened, we knew she was OK, I think I just kind of had to put it behind me and start thinking about getting ready for finals and racing again that night.”
They did, and they won.
“I was just so happy we were there to help her and that she’s OK. And we were so happy with the meet and how the team did and I was so proud of how my teammates swam all season long.
“Right place at the right time. I was just happy to help.”