Fifteen-year-old Benjamin Courville was too shy to give a speech when Dighton Selectmen awarded him a certificate of appreciation for recently saving a woman's life from choking to death at a Fall River restaurant.

 

But he wasn't shy on June 30 around 3:30 p.m. while dining with his mother Christine at the 99 Restaurant in Fall River when without hesitation he jumped out of his seat and ran to a young woman in obvious distress.

 

He asked her if she was choking. She nodded yes. He immediately turned her around and applied the Heimlich maneuver until the object she was choking on was dislodged.

 

At the July 24 Dighton Selectmen's meeting, Courville received not only the board's award but also a "Heart Saver Hero" certificate and clear glass trophy from the American Heart Association for his life-saving act that day.

 

"As a direct result of Benjamin Courville's selfless and heroic actions, a young life was saved," Acting Selectmen Chair Mark Pacheco said, reading from the certificate.

 

Read more at heraldnews.com.