Horrified dad saves 10-year-old son’s life after he began CHOKING on Lucozade bottle cap
A HORRIFIED dad sprang to action to save his son's life after he began choking on a rubber cap from a Lucozade bottle.
Jay Miller, 38, and his son Harvey, 10, were getting ready for football training at their home in Colchester, Essex, on December 10 when the lad was left gasping for air.
The schoolboy took a swig of a Lucozade Sport bottle, but before the liquid could even touch Harvey's tongue, a small piece of the cap rolled inside his mouth.
It lodged in Harvey's throat, leaving him struggling to breathe.
The lad began gasping for air, prompting quick-thinking Jay to try different techniques to dislodge the cap from his son's throat.
Jay, who works in maintenance services, says he slapped his son while moving him into different positions in a bid to clear his airways.
He told The Sun: "I was beyond scared and felt numb all over.
"I couldn't pinpoint what was going though my head there was so much but my focus was on helping my son who beyond scared himself.
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"I stood to the side of him and slapped him on his back between the shoulder blades in an upwards movement.
"The colour drained from his face. It could have been a lot worse."
Jay says in a moments of desperation, he was forced to whack his son so hard on his back it had left red marks.
The cap finally cleared from Harvey's throat - leaving the pair in a state of shock.
The doting dad says the family often drink Lucozade's before Harvey's sister goes off to football training - but they are put off using the bottles the same way.
He has warned other parents of the potential dangers of the sports bottles.
Jay put the small piece of plastic behind the choking chaos to one side and contacted Suntory, who manufacture Lucozade, to complain.
But after multiple back and fourths with the firm, he was left fuming and under the impression the company were trying to shift the blame back to him.
The dad was offered vouchers for replacement drinks, which he rejected, before he complained again.
However for a second time, Jay was offered another voucher - but this time for it was for £75.
'I WAS ANGRY'
Jay told the company he was not happy to receive the voucher and turned down the offer, saying: "I refused it and wrote an email to explain how we were feeling about the offer.
"I can honestly say after the response I have had back from them it was nice to know that they will relook into this issue but at first I was angry and just wanted people to understand that this is a scary moment to have happen to you and your family.
"I asked for the bottle back so I could try to have my own tests done which they agreed and did send back to me.
"But when I opened the parcel, I could clearly see that this has never been opened or any tests done on it because if they did then the clear tape I put inside the bottle lid would have been removed."
Jay has since been in touch with the company who says they are going to investigate further.
'ISOLATED INCIDENT'
A Suntory Great Britain spokesman said complaints of this nature are taken "incredibly seriously".
He said: "We understand and appreciate how distressing this incident was for Mr Miller and his family.
"Following the initial contact from Mr Miller we conducted a thorough analysis of the complaint, this including examining the bottle and looking at the manufacturing process along with our supplier.
"After this thorough investigation, we informed Mr Miller that we were unable to find any circumstances within the manufacturing and distribution process that could have led to this isolated incident.
"We appreciate this finding might not have been satisfactory to hear.
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"Following further correspondence with Mr Miller we offered to review the original investigation to reassure him which he subsequently welcomed.
"We continue to give this our fullest attention and we are also in regular contact with Mr Miller to keep him informed of the progress of the review."
