ESPN college football broadcaster Peter Burns has revealed, in terrifying detail, how he nearly drowned to death last week.
Burns, who works for the SEC Network and ESPN Radio, was in Columbia, Missouri, to watch the Tigers beat the Boston College Eagles 27-21 on Saturday.
He went out to dinner with his team the day before the game but began choking on a piece of food.
After several attempts by others to help him, a Missouri fan ran up and performed the Heimlich maneuver.
Remembering the terrible experience of XBurns wrote on Monday: ‘While having dinner with our SEC Network crew, I began choking on a piece of food. I immediately knew it was something serious and gestured toward our table to indicate that I couldn’t breathe.
Jack Foster (right) saved Peter Burns’ life on Friday when the ESPN anchor choked on some food.
Burns recalled the ordeal on Tuesday, revealing that three people tried to save him but were unable to.
‘I then motioned for a friend to perform the Heimlich maneuver on me, but he couldn’t get the food out. So, in a panic, I asked someone else to try.
‘After about 90 seconds, the second person was unsuccessful. A nurse then came over and tried to try it as well, but unfortunately she also had no luck. At about 2 minutes in, I started losing vision and passing out.
‘It was surreal. I could hear everyone talking and trying their best to help. But nothing was working. Just as I was about to pass out, Jack Foster (the fourth person to try) tried.
‘Mr Foster was a youth sports coach and told us later that he had just received training for his teams on how to perform CPR and save someone from choking.
“That training is the reason I’m here today. I’m grateful to him and everyone who participated and helped save my life that night.”
Burns also revealed that he did not emerge completely unscathed.
He continued: “The painful after-effects were minor fractures to four ribs, but his team helped me recover. I am grateful to everyone involved for their help.”
