School bus manufacturer Blue Bird Corporation recognized Pamela Black of Clovis Unified School District near Fresno, California for her heroic acts last fall that saved a student’s life. The award was given last Monday at the STN EXPO in Reno, Nev.
Last September, Black, a special needs bus driver spotted a student just outside the rear exit of her bus. Moments later, she noticed another bus started to roll towards the child.
“She jumped out, pushed the child out of the way, and just missed being caught by that bus by inches. That bus crashed into the bus she was on. She saved that child’s life,” said Phil Horlock, president and CEO of Blue Bird, who presented Black with the award.
Black was met with applause and a standing ovation from the audience as she walked up to the stage to receive the honor.
“In recognition of your preparedness, professionalism in the face of a life-threatening emergency…congratulations,” said Horlock.
During his opening remarks, Horlock also recognized the hard work of other industry professionals, such as bus drivers and maintenance staff.
“At these events, I always like to recognize everyone in the audience because a lot of times I think we have the easy job. We build the school bus, we sell it. You take care of it for 15 to 20 years, sometimes more than that. That’s hard dedication. You have to keep it on the road no matter what the conditions are,” he said.
