Teachers come to aid of Fla. student after pencil punctures his artery in freak accident

WELLINGTON, Fla. -- A Florida boy and his mother are thanking his teachers whose quick actions may have helped save the child's life.

Kolston Moradi said he felt something odd go into his arm when he sat down with his backpack, minutes before he was about to be dismissed from Equestrian Trails Elementary School.

"It was kind of like a little pinch," Moradi said.

Moradi, 8, would soon learn that his sharp pencil in his backpack had pierced through an artery near his underarm, reports WPBF.

Blood started pouring onto his shirt and on the floor. He said he remained calm and told a teacher.

Teacher Mandi Kapopoulos was in the hallway and moved quickly.

"I pulled my arm out of my sleeve and I used my sleeve to wrap around his arm as tight as I could to hopefully stop the bleeding," Kapopoulos said.

Another teacher, Elizabeth Richards, was nearby too.

"You could kind of hear the commotion and I was only about 20-feet away," Richards said.

Both teachers laid the boy down and elevated his arm.

"It was shocking to come upon the amount of blood the child had lost in such a quick amount of time," Richards said.

The continued to apply pressure until paramedics arrived. Moradi was taken to the hospital.

A paramedic said the pencil would have killed him if they hadn't stopped the bleeding.

The boy's mother, Annarisa Moradi, said she is forever thankful the teachers were in the right place at the right time.

"You can't say thank you enough to someone that saved your child's life, Annarisa Moradi said.

Doctors said when someone is impaled, it's better to leave the object in place until a medical professional arrives.

Kolston now has two staples in his arm. He even returned to school the next day.

The teachers say they are glad he's back.

"It feels great to know that he's here and his family is grateful," Kapopoulos said.