ESPN host Peter Burns had a near-death experience while on the road in Columbia, Missouri over the weekend.
Burns, a host for SEC Network and ESPN Radio, was in town as Missouri hosted Boston College on Saturday, and he credited Mizzou fan Jack Foster with coming to his aid as he was choking at dinner on Friday night.
“While at dinner w/ our SEC Network crew, I began to choke on a piece of food. Immediately I knew it was serious and motioned to our table that I couldn’t breathe,” Burns wrote at the beginning of a thread on X.
“I then waved over a friend to give me the Heimlich [maneuver] and he couldn’t dislodge the food. Then in a panic, I motioned for someone else to try. After about 90 seconds, the second person was unsuccessful. Then a nurse comes over and he attempts to try as well, but alas still no luck.”
The situation started to get even scarier.
“At around 2 mins in, is when I start to lose my vision & I start blacking out. It was surreal is I could hear everyone talking & doing everything they could to help. But nothing was working. Right as I was about to lose consciousness, Jack Foster (the 4th person to try) tried,” Burns continued.
“Mr Foster was a youth sports coach & told us later that he had just gone through training for his teams on how to do both CPR & save someone from choking. That training is why I am here right now. I’m thankful for him and all involved that helped saved my life that night.”
Burns, who also opened up about the scary incident on the radio on Monday, thanked trainers from Missouri’s football team for helping him out later in the evening.
“The painful aftermath has been slight fractures in 4 ribs but their team helped get me back on my feet. Thankful to all involved for their help,” Burns wrote.