A tragic incident took place on April 6th in the restaurant of Café de la mairie in Flêtre, France. An elderly Belgian man, who was a regular customer there for over 25 years, suddenly choked while eating and passed away despite the manager’s rescue efforts and aid from the firefighters and SMUR. The boss of the restaurant expressed his devastation over the loss of a friend. The waitress immediately came to help when the man started choking, but all attempts to save him failed. The cause of death is suspected to be a pulmonary embolism. The boss shared that the victim’s daughter told him that the restaurant was her father’s favorite spot where he planned on returning next week.
A tragedy occurred this Thursday, April 6 in the restaurant of the Café de la mairie in Flêtre, France. A Belgian over 80 was eating there when he began to choke. He died instantly. According to information from the VDN, the manager, who rescued the victim, is in shock.
The Belgian was a regular at the establishment, he had been coming there for at least 25 years. “Since I arrived 15 years ago, he came regularly,” explains Jean-Charles Debailleul, the boss, to our colleagues. “It’s more than a client, I’m losing a friend,” he added. And the circumstances are all the more tragic, since the octogenarian lost his life in his establishment, despite the intervention of the firefighters and the SMUR.
When the Belgian began to choke, it was the restaurant waitress who immediately came to his aid. Thinking that the food was passing through the airways instead of going into the esophagus, the waitress performed the Heimlich maneuver, consisting of pressing very hard on the stomach. But the man continued to choke. The boss, called urgently, then left his stove and ran into the dining room to save his friend.
The firefighters and the SMUR also tried everything to save the Belgian, but in vain. No food was found in the victim’s airways. The hypothesis of pulmonary embolism is considered. The boss, Jean-Charles Debailleul, is distraught: “It’s hard. His daughter told me that this restaurant was his favorite place, he was supposed to come back next week”.
This tragedy at the Café de la mairie in Flêtre, France has left the manager, staff, and regulars devastated. Losing a long-time patron and friend in such circumstances is never easy. Despite the valiant efforts of the waitress, the boss, the firefighters, and the SMUR, the Belgian over 80 passed away. Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones during this difficult time. The community at the Café de la mairie will surely miss him dearly.