A school bus driver who suffered an undisclosed medical emergency on a route last month thanked the three high school students who came to his rescue and that of 25 other students by taking control of the wheel, reported NJ.com.
The Somerset County Freeholders, the local board of supervisors, honored Gavin Costello, 15, Angelo Mel-Tos, 18, and Kala Wright, 15, all of North Plainfield with citations before an overflow crowd. The three are all students at Somerset County Vocational Technical High School in Bridgewater.
The incident occurred the morning of Feb. 10 as Route 22 was on its way to school. The bus driver, Roy Davis, began driving erratically and Wright said she noticed his eyes were “fluttering.”
“We all did it as a team,” said Wright, a freshman in the Law and Public Safety program who was selected as the school’s Student of the Month for February. “I was sitting up front and realized that everyone’s life was in danger, including mine.”
As the bus was about to run a red light, NJ.com reported that Costello grabbed the emergency brake and then put the bus in park in the middle of the intersection. Mel-tos turned off the ignition. Students immediately began to file out of the bus and police and emergency personnel soon arrived to tend to Davis.
“I simply want to say I’m so glad, happy and appreciative of the help the students rendered onto me,” said Davis, who remains on leave. “All I remember is picking the kids up and driving on Route 22. I pray to God everyday. God was with us that day and blessed us that day.”
