Bus driver saves the life of 7-year-old boy choking on a quarter: 'Baby, breathe. I got you.'

Having empathy and a presence of mind can prove beneficial in some life-threatening situaitons. Raquel Radford Baker was under such a stressful situation while driving a school bus, per TODAY. She saw a young boy choking on something but did not panic and handled the situation like a professional. Her brave deed garnered praise from everyone, especially from the child's mother.

Baker has worked as a bus driver for almost 17 years with Dallas ISD's Transportation Services. On that day, she was covering for one of her coworkers and driving a school bus for the Dallas Independent School. The school bus carried 7-year-old Preston. While on the ride, Preston accidentally swallowed a quarter and began choking on it. The footage of the bus was given to KXAS, an NBC affiliate in Fort Worth, Texas.

The footage shows Preston slowly walking up to Baker and tapping her back for help. "I was trying to tell her that I was choking on a quarter and it hurts very bad," he told NBC affiliate. Quickly, the driver opened the bus doors and carried the boy to a nearby bench. They were at Seagoville North Elementary, where she asked another parent to contact the authorities. Thereafter, she began administering the Heimlich maneuver. She learned this technique in her company's training sessions.

"I'm saying, 'Baby, breathe. Baby, breathe. I got you. Breathe,'" she recalled telling the scared 7-year-old. She reminisced that the only thought running through her head at that time was how she had to save the kid. Fortunately, the coin got dislodged and freed up Preston's throat.

Baker, in her interview with The Hub, Dallas ISD's publication, shared how, after the predicament, she embraced the kid and ensured he was OK. "I asked him if he was OK and he said, 'Yes, I can breathe.' And I immediately just hugged him tight," the driver said. Thereafter, she talked with the school nurse, who contacted the kid's mother, Giavona Bell. Bell, after hearing the news, was in shock. She immediately went into panic mode and relaxed only after seeing her boy.

Baker further shared how she takes the duty of transporting kids from one place to another very seriously. "One thing I love about transporting students is that I am transporting future NFL players, NBA players, future doctors, nurses, attorneys, lawyers, law enforcement etc. They are the most precious gift ever to me and I am grateful and feel privileged to transport such precious cargo," she said.

Bell considers Baker a "hero" and believes she was put on the bus by god to save her baby's life. "She told me yesterday, she said, 'All I wanted to do was save your child's life. That's the only thing that was running through my mind was that I had to save him. I have to help him,'" Bell told KXAS. The mother now considers Baker a part of their family after this incident. The driver is "grateful" that she was able to prevent a tragedy from happening. The mother, seeing this situation unfold, wants to get trained in CPR.