The grieving parents of an 8-year-old girl who choked to death at her Texas elementary school have released distressing surveillance footage showing her desperate attempts to get help.
Adrian Thompson began choking during lunch at Velma Penny Elementary School in Lindale on April 15. Video released this week shows her waving her arms and signaling for assistance before running to the nurse’s office, where she turned blue and collapsed, CBS 19 reported.
Adrian’s parents made the footage public after investigators determined that her death was an accident and that “no criminal offense” had occurred. The family says that conclusion overlooks the school’s failure to respond while their daughter was visibly seeking help.
“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 … I would still be devastated that Adrian passed away,” grieving mother Anna Thompson said.
“But that’s not what the camera footage shows. So, this is where we feel like people need to know about this,” she said.
The video shows Adrian leaving her lunch table at about 11:40 a.m. She appears to heave and cough into a napkin while walking through the cafeteria, holding her hands near her throat and visibly struggling.
“Adrian’s demeanor and actions appear to be those of someone coughing or choking,” Texas Rangers wrote in a report obtained by CBS 19.
Adrian approached a supervising employee and gestured toward her mouth. The staff member apparently believed the girl needed to vomit and directed her toward a trash can.
According to the police report, the employee asked Adrian whether she wanted to go to the restroom. Adrian nodded and quickly ran out of the cafeteria.
Seconds later, Adrian returned to the cafeteria, waving her arms in distress toward the same employee. She then ran out again and headed toward the nurse’s office.
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The nurse told police that Adrian was “pointing to her mouth and trying to speak” before her face began turning “blue.”
The nurse immediately performed the Heimlich maneuver, but Adrian collapsed. When she could not find a pulse, the nurse used an anti-choking device and began CPR.
The school principal called 911 at 11:45 a.m.—about five minutes after Adrian first began showing signs of choking in the cafeteria. Firefighters, police officers and EMS personnel responded, with the final responders arriving roughly 10 minutes after the incident began, according to the footage.
Security video shows responders wheeling Adrian from the school on a gurney while continuing chest compressions. She was placed in an ambulance at 11:55 a.m., and the vehicle left the school at noon.
Adrian was taken to a hospital and later transferred to Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. She died the following day.
Medical experts say that during the first three minutes of a choking emergency, a person may experience restricted breathing, panic and potentially lose consciousness.
Brain damage can begin after four minutes, while cardiac arrest or death can occur after six minutes or longer, CBS 19 reported.
The Texas Rangers’ investigation concluded that no criminal offense had been committed in connection with Adrian’s death. The medical examiner classified the death as accidental, caused by choking.
Lindale Independent School District Superintendent Stan Surratt told The Post that the school has revised its safety procedures, provided additional staff training and introduced new policies intended to “help prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”
“We recognize that no amount of preparation can eliminate every emergency. However, we remain committed to continuously evaluating our practices, identifying opportunities for improvement, and ensuring our staff members have the resources, training, and support they need to respond when emergencies arise,” he said.
Lindale is a small town of about 6,000 people located about 90 miles east of Dallas.