Parents of Texas student share video after fatal school choking

Six months after an 8-year-old East Texas student died from a tragic choking incident at her elementary school, her family has released surveillance footage that they say raises questions about the school’s response. If the camera footage that we were shown showed that once Adrian began choking and she got up for help and she went to the adult in charge and that they started all helping right away, then she still passed away after all of the intervention that could be done, I would still be devastated that Adrian passed away, her mother, Anna Thompson, said.

Adrian Thompson, a student at Velma Penny Elementary School within the Lindale Independent School District, began choking during lunch on April 15. Medical personnel transported her to the hospital before she was subsequently transferred to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. She died in the early morning hours of April 16. Half a year later, her parents handed over the recording to CBS19 in the hope of gaining further clarity regarding the events that transpired prior to the arrival of first responders.

An examination of the surveillance footage alongside an investigative report from the Texas Rangers was conducted by CBS19, with the report concluding that no state-level criminal offense took place. The medical examiner ruled Adrian’s death an accident caused by choking.

Cafeteria Movements and the Critical Missing Details

At 11:40 a.m. on April 15, the video captures Adrian rising from her lunch table. While navigating the cafeteria, she appears to heave and cough into a napkin with her hands positioned near her neck. According to the Texas Rangers’ report, Adrian’s movements appeared consistent with someone choking. Seconds later, Adrian approaches an adult employee. The report says the employee believed Adrian was sick and guided her to a trash can before asking if she wanted to go to the restroom. Adrian nodded yes and left the cafeteria.

Yet, the surveillance recording depicts Adrian heading back into the cafeteria merely 13 seconds afterward, an omission from the Rangers’ official document. At 11:41:26 a.m., Adrian appears distressed as she interacts with the employee again. Fourteen seconds later, she runs out of the cafeteria toward the school nurse’s office. The video shows Adrian reaching the nurse’s office at 11:42:02 a.m.

The Nurse’s Office and the 911 Timeline

Based on the investigative document, the nurse informed investigators that Adrian pointed toward her mouth and attempted to speak. The nurse said Adrian began turning blue. The nurse reported performing the Heimlich maneuver before Adrian collapsed. Following the absence of a pulse, the nurse utilized an anti-choking device and initiated CPR, as noted in the report. There is no surveillance footage from inside the nurse’s office showing what happened during that time.

Documentation of calls indicates that the school principal dialed 911 at 11:45:38 a.m., representing a span of nearly five minutes following Adrian’s initial departure from her lunch table. According to medical professionals, a choking emergency depriving the brain of oxygen can trigger brain damage in roughly four minutes, while cardiac arrest may follow about two minutes later.

Parents of Texas student share video after fatal school choking — Photo: yahoo.com

Response units from the Lindale Fire Department reached the location at 11:48 a.m., with police arriving near 11:50 a.m. and emergency medical personnel showing up moments afterward. Subsequent footage displays emergency personnel performing chest compressions and escorting Adrian out of the building at 11:55 a.m. The ambulance left at noon.

The motivation behind releasing the video, according to Adrian’s parents, is to ensure the public clearly grasps what transpired when their daughter sought assistance. But that’s not what the camera footage shows. So, this is where we feel like people need to know about this, she said. CBS19 reached out to Lindale ISD and the Texas Department of Public Safety for comment. Neither responded by the station’s deadline.