3-Year-Old South Pasadena Girl Chokes on Grape

A three-year-old girl became unconscious after choking on a grape Thursday and was rushed in a critical condition to hospital where doctors cleared the obstruction.

South Pasadena Police Department officers responded to the incident after the girl’s mother called just before 4 p.m. from the 1100 block of Pine Street, Sgt. Tony Abdalla said.

The officers tried to clear the obstruction from the girl’s throat but were unsuccessful, Abdalla said, adding that the girl was unconscious but breathing. Paramedics who subsequently arrived on the scene were also unable to clear the obstruction, the sergeant said.

The girl was rushed to Huntington Memorial Hospital in an ambulance as officers blocked road intersections on the way, Abdalla said. 

The girl was admitted to ER, where doctors retrieved a large grape from her air passageway, Abdalla said.