Emily Carter
In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor, accompanying her husband, Senate candidate John Warner, on the campaign trail, nearly died after choking on a chicken bone at a restaurant in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The incident brought her a lot of public sympathy and media attention, and some believe it swung the vote in Warner's favor.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year | 1978 |
| Month | October |
| Date | 12 |
| Day | Thursday |
| Time | After 7 p.m. |
| Place | Fraley’s Coach House, Big Stone Gap, Virginia |
| Food | Fried chicken |
| Bone Location | Oesophagus |
| Bone Length | 2 inches |
| Hospital | Lonesome Pine Hospital |
| Doctor | H.T. Patel |
| Procedure | Insertion of rubber tubing into the oesophagus to push the bone into the stomach |
| Diagnosis | Zenker's diverticulum |
| Treatment | Further treatment by a specialist |
| Outcome | Survival |
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What You'll Learn
Elizabeth Taylor choked on a chicken bone in 1978
In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor, accompanying her seventh husband, Senate candidate John Warner, on the campaign trail, choked on a chicken bone. The incident occurred at Fraley's Coach House in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, where Taylor and Warner had attended a Columbus Day campaign dinner.
Taylor, then 44, went to the kitchen to greet the chef and sample his chicken. She took a bite of a fried chicken breast and accidentally swallowed a two-inch bone, which lodged in her throat. She clutched her neck, barely able to breathe, and tried to cough it up, but to no avail. She even tried to push the bone down her throat with some soft bread, but it didn't work.
Realizing the urgency of the situation, Taylor was rushed to the nearby Lonesome Pine Hospital, where Dr. H.T. Patel, an East Indian doctor, inserted a rubber hose down her throat and pushed the bone into her stomach. The procedure was simple and non-surgical, but while it was being performed, Dr. Patel discovered an existing pear-shaped "out-pouching" of the esophagus, known as Zenker's diverticulum, which required further treatment by a specialist.
The incident made headlines, and some believe it moved the public to sympathy for Taylor, potentially influencing the close outcome of Warner's election race against Democrat Andrew P. Miller. Warner won the election by a narrow margin of only 4,271 votes out of 1.2 million cast, and he acknowledged the impact of Taylor's health and personal issues on the campaign, stating, "I think Virginia voters admire my wife because they 'look at what she has overcome, the health problems, the marital problems - and they look on her as a survivor.'"
The town of Big Stone Gap gained a certain amount of notoriety due to this incident, with one source commenting on the irony of a centuries-old town being famous for this particular event. The incident was even referenced in the title of a novel, "Big Stone Gap," although the novel itself was not based on the true story.
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She was campaigning for her husband John Warner
In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor was campaigning for her seventh husband, Virginia lawyer and Republican candidate John Warner, who was running for the U.S. Senate.
During the campaign, Taylor and Warner attended a Columbus Day campaign dinner in the far Southwest Virginia town of Big Stone Gap. The dinner was a 9th Congressional District Republican banquet where the Warners were to be the star attraction.
At Fraley's Coach House, Taylor went to the kitchen to greet the chef and sample his chicken. She took a bite of a fried chicken breast and accidentally swallowed a two-inch bone, which lodged in her throat. She clutched her neck, barely able to breathe, and tried to cough up the bone, but to no avail. She even tried to push it down her throat with some soft bread, but it wouldn't budge.
It was clear that she was choking, and she was rushed to the nearby Lonesome Pine Hospital. There, a thoracic surgeon Dr. H.T. Patel, inserted a rubber hose down her throat and pushed the bone into her stomach, where it dissolved through digestion. Taylor remained in the hospital overnight, and the incident made headlines the next day.
Some say that the chicken bone incident moved the public to sympathy for Taylor, swinging the vote in Warner's favour. He won the election by a narrow margin of 4,271 votes out of 1.2 million. Warner himself acknowledged the impact of Taylor's campaigning, stating that he believed Virginia voters admired his wife for what she had overcome.
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The incident took place at Fraley's Coach House
Taylor began to choke and was unable to breathe. She tried to dislodge the bone by coughing and eating soft bread, but neither method worked. It was clear that the situation was dire, and she was rushed to the nearby Lonesome Pine Hospital. There, Dr H.T. Patel, a thoracic surgeon, inserted a rubber hose down her throat and pushed the bone into her stomach. The procedure was non-surgical, and Taylor was kept in the hospital overnight for observation.
The incident made headlines and brought a great deal of attention to Taylor and her role in Warner's campaign for the U.S. Senate. Some even speculated that the incident moved the public to sympathy for Taylor, which may have swung the vote in Warner's favour. He won the election by a very narrow margin of only 4,271 votes.
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A rubber tube was used to dislodge the bone
In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor, accompanying her husband, Senate candidate John Warner, on the campaign trail, nearly choked to death on a chicken bone. The incident took place at Fraley's Coach House in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, where Taylor visited the kitchen to greet the chef. The chef offered her a chicken wing, which she swallowed, along with a two-inch bone that lodged in her esophagus.
Taylor's husband rushed her to the nearby Lonesome Pine Hospital, where Dr. H.T. Patel used rubber tubing to dislodge the bone. The procedure involved inserting a rubber hose down her throat and pushing the bone into her stomach, where it could be dissolved through digestion. This non-surgical intervention was successful, and Taylor recovered.
The incident attracted significant media attention, with reporters gathering at the hospital and Warner addressing the Columbus Day banquet by phone from Taylor's bedside. The episode also sparked public sympathy for Taylor, which may have influenced the close outcome of Warner's Senate race.
The specific details of the procedure used to dislodge the bone are not widely reported. However, it is known that Dr. Patel utilized rubber tubing, likely in the form of an esophagoscope, a tube-like instrument, to perform the procedure. This technique allowed the bone to be pushed safely into Taylor's stomach, preventing further harm and resolving the immediate crisis.
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The incident drew public sympathy for Taylor
In 1978, Elizabeth Taylor, accompanying her seventh husband, Senate candidate John Warner, on the campaign trail, choked on a chicken bone at a restaurant in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. The incident drew public sympathy for Taylor, which may have contributed to Warner's narrow victory in the U.S. Senate election in Virginia.
On the night of the incident, Taylor and Warner had attended a Columbus Day campaign dinner at Fraley's Coach House in Big Stone Gap. Taylor, then 44, went to the kitchen to greet the chef and sample his chicken. She took a bite of a fried chicken breast and accidentally swallowed a two-inch bone, which lodged in her throat. She began to choke and was unable to breathe. Despite her attempts to dislodge the bone by coughing and eating soft bread, it refused to budge.
Taylor was rushed to the nearby Lonesome Pine Hospital, where she received treatment from Dr. H.T. Patel. The doctor inserted a rubber hose down her throat and pushed the bone into her stomach, a simple nonsurgical procedure. Taylor spent the night in the hospital and made headlines the next day as she returned home with her husband.
The incident caused a media frenzy, with reporters gathering at the hospital and dictating new leads as they received updates from somber-faced Warner aides. The story drew significant public attention and sympathy for Taylor, who was already a well-known Hollywood actress. This surge of sympathy may have had a significant impact on the tight Senate race in Virginia, where Warner was running for office.
Warner himself acknowledged the impact of Taylor's health issues and their marital problems on the campaign, believing that voters admired his wife's strength and resilience. He credited her with playing a crucial role in his eventual victory, saying, "She did it." The chicken bone incident, by bringing attention to Taylor's health struggles and survival spirit, likely contributed to the public sympathy that swung votes in Warner's favor.
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Frequently asked questions
Elizabeth Taylor choked on a chicken bone at Fraley’s Coach House in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
She was accompanying her husband, John Warner, on the campaign trail. Warner was running for the U.S. Senate from Virginia.
She was rushed to Lonesome Pine Hospital, where Dr. H.T. Patel inserted a rubber hose down her throat to push the bone into her stomach.
