Covington police saves man choking on French Fries

By Matthew Penix
St. Tammany News
Published on Friday, February 6, 2009 8:16 AM CST

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As Covington Police officers Russell Spinks and Casey Anthony approached a man passed out in his truck early Sunday they thought it was just another drunk, sleeping it off.

Instead, they soon learned, the 28-year-old was 10 minutes away from death, passed out from carbon monoxide poisoning and choking on French fries.

Michael Grabert of Bay St. Louis, Miss. had stopped to eat some fast food at the Main Street Shopping Center and left his lights on and engine running. The toxic fumes wafted through the holes in the floorboard of his 1994 Chevy pickup truck causing him to pass out about 2:30 a.m, West said.

When the officers arrived, he “wasn’t really breathing enough to sustain life,” West said.

But both officers saved his life when they pulled him from the vehicle and cleared his throat, Covington police Capt. Jack West said.

Now breathing easier, Grabert was taken by ambulance to St. Tammany Parish Hospital where he was treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. Ambulance officials told West that Grabert was 10 minutes away from dying, West said.

Grabert called the officers from the hospital to thank them for saving his life, West said.

“There is no way around it,” West said. “We’re flat proud.”

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Comments

2 comment(s)

brittany wane wrote on Sep 25, 2010 9:12 AM:

" that is my uncle (: "

only wrote on Feb 6, 2009 9:31 AM:

" If it was a fireman and not a cop, then you would see this turn into a big hero story! "

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