A Florida bus driver is being touted as a hero by parents and school officials after she safely emptied her bus of 35 students moments before the vehicle burst into flames. “It’s just my job. I do it every day. Everybody that was on the bus was a hero, not just me,” the driver said. The 18-year veteran was en route to the area elementary school when students began to complain of smoke. The driver immediately ordered everyone to evacuate. Just two miles from school, the students exited the bus in single file and fled to a safe distance, as they had practiced a few months prior to this incident. Five minutes after clearing the bus of everyone, the fire erupted. When fire crews arrived, the entire engine compartment at the back of the bus was ablaze and filled with smoke. “This bus driver was more than a bus driver, she’s really a guardian of our children. I can’t put enough emphasis on what an amazing job she did,” said fire rescue district chief.
Pittsburgh police are baffled after discovering a school bus that crashed into a local Vitamin Shoppe in the middle of the night, the bus completely inside the establishment. The unknown driver, who escaped out the bus’ back door, fled the scene by the time police arrived after the collision tripped the health store alarms. “He had enough force to move the bus all the way into the building. With the assistance of neighboring departments, we did a K-9 track. Obviously there was no one on the bus. And it came up negative with any kind of suspects,” said the local police chief.
A New Jersey school bus driver and attendant were presented with the Spirit of Heroism Award after rescuing a 5-year-old girl from a vicious pit bull attack last month. The board of education president and superintendent publicly recognized the pair for their “heroic efforts.” The driver and attendant assisted the girl’s father with another man to pull the dog off the 5-year-old. Soon after, a police officer shot and killed the animal. According to one school administrator, the two employees “risked their lives to rescue a child from the jaws of a wild dog. Another school official “acknowledged the staff members for their quick thinking and courage and for putting the safety of this child above themselves.” The girl was taken to the hospital were she got several shots and stitches, returning home later that day.
A school bus carrying eight students was nearly swallowed by a sinkhole as they were heading home. The students, along with the driver, were safely evacuated from the trapped transport. There were no injuries from the incident. The sinkhole, which spanned the width of a road, was only a few feet deep, but it was enough to ensnare the right tire of the bus as the pavement shifted and the driver tried to reverse. Toledo authorities reported that a ruptured water main created the sinkhole.
