If you ever witness someone having a seizure...
…don't try to stop it. Just clear away any hazards nearby, call 9-1-1 and wait it out. That advice comes from Dr. James “Butch” Rosser, a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Rosser says the safest thing for the patient and you to do is to let the seizure run its course. Don’t pin someone down. Because even if the person is twitching violently, most seizures stop of their own accord and are NOT dangerous. And FORGET sticking something in a person’s mouth if they’re having a seizure, to keep them from swallowing or biting their tongue. It’s physically impossible to swallow your tongue… but it’s entirely possible that whatever you stick in their mouth could block their airway or cause them to choke to death. What you can do, once the person has stopped moving, is to roll them onto their left side. Often, people throw up after a seizure – and being on the left helps a person’s stomach empty more easily, so they’re less likely to choke or get vomit in their lungs.