Chick-fil-A Employee Saves Choking Child In Drive-Thru

A Chick-Fil-A employee is being hailed as a hero after saving a child who was choking in a car while going through the drive-thru. It’s hard to keep your cool in a life or death situation, even more so when it involves a child. But, this young man calmly saved a child’s life as it was just part of his job at the fast food restaurant.

Zack “Cowboy” Kokenzie was working his shift at the Columbus, Georgia restaurant when he heard cries for help from a father driving an SUV. The dining room is currently closed because of COVID-19.

As you can imagine, this makes for some crowded drive-thru lines, but the employees are still incredibly responsive. Typical of Chick-Fil-A service, Zack heard the panicked cries and acted quickly.

Eagle Scout Training Kicks In

As an Eagle Scout, Zack is certified in CPR and other lifesaving techniques. While that might have been the expected means of saving a choking child, this was a different situation entirely.

The child was choking because her seatbelt was wrapped around her windpipe.

When seconds matter, part of responding to an emergency depends on staying calm. Zack did exactly that.

As an Eagle Scout, he is always prepared. Another Chick-Fil-A employee handed him a pair of scissors which Zack used to cut the seatbelt.

Chick-Fil-A Shares Story

The Chick-Fil-A franchise shared the experience on its Facebook page.

Shortly after the busy lunch rush today, frantic cries were heard in the drive thru line. The cries were coming from an SUV just outside the drive thru window. A father was seen rushing to the back of his SUV.

With COVID-19, Chick-fil-A Manchester Expressway’s dining room is still closed, which ensures our drive thru is staying busy and we have multiple team members around the building to expedite quick service. One of those team members was a Columbus High School graduate and an Eagle Scout: Zack “Cowboy” Kokenzie. Nicknamed “Cowboy” for nearly breaking his finger while riding a horse that tried to buck him off recently, Zack demonstrates a calm under pressure.

Today, Zack heard panicked cries coming from a vehicle in drive thru. Zack due to his Eagle Scout days and being CPR certified went toward the commotion. He observed the father and another customer trying to free what appeared to be a choking child child in the rear seat. The cries were from the other children in the vehicle. It appeared that the seat belt had become wrapped around the child’s windpipe. Another customer had left his vehicle and was trying unsuccessfully to assist the father in removing the seat belt by reaching through the back window. Fellow team member Zachary Bullock passed a pair of scissors through the window and Zack “Cowboy” Kokenzie calmly walked over to the rear of the vehicle and cut through the seatbelt in seconds freeing the child.

Owner Responds To Team’s Quick Action

Alex Vann, who owns this Chick-Fil-A said, “Zack and our team acted quickly in rescuing a child from a life-threatening situation. I am proud of Zack, Justin, Zachary B. and our team for their quick thinking and quick responses. This could have been far worse, but Zack and others were in the right place, with the right training and the right attitude to potentially save the life of one of our customers. We are glad everyone is alright.”

Thank goodness for Zack’s quick thinking in such a scary situation. God bless him!

Erin Perri

A mom first and conservative Christian second, Erin credits a midwestern upbringing and deep military roots for her no-nonsense perspective on life and family in America today.