MISSOULA - Teachers to many are considered to be a great influence in their lives and some might call them heroes.
Teachers typically go above and beyond during the school day and after, working hard to make sure students are cared for and can get the best education possible.
Mike Crockett, a seventh and eighth grade science teacher at St. Joesph Catholic School in Missoula saved the life of a sixth-grade boy who fell off playground equipment this last February. Crockett who was on recess duty at the time explains the moment the incident happened.
“When I stand outside on recess duty I stand on top of the slide so I can see everything, kind of like the prison warden. So I was pretty close when I saw it and more importantly when I heard him hit the ground so I knew he was in trouble right away because it was a pretty loud thud... I saw him from the other side of the fence that divided me from him. I gave him five seconds of him being motionless and I knew after that five was up something was wrong and go to check on him,” Crockett said.
Crockett started doing CPR until the ambulance arrived. “I knew it was time to get somebody moving inside to get 911 on the line and for someone to get an AED. To be really honest it turns into a blur really quick."
Because of his actions in saving the student, Crockett was awarded the National Red Cross Lifesaving Award after being nominated by the boy's family.
Crockett explains what that moment he found out meant to him, “It’s hard to internalize that. And it's hard to understand the magnitude of what that means. I really grateful for the Hall family and what they’ve done and recognizing the efforts it’s special."
The student is back at school, and Crockett noted how important CPR classes can be.
“You can never truly know how to react in that situation until it’s right in front of you. I think that the design of the class is to prep you to have enough tools on board in order to do something,” Crockett said.
