A bus driver's job isn't just to take kids to and from school, it's to keep them safe. Typically, the driver is the only adult on school buses and therefore is responsible for the lives of up to 72 kids when they're working. Well one bus driver in New York is being hailed a hero for how well she did her job.
Samantha Call was on her route on April 26 when she went to drop off a student. The bus was stopped with its red lights flashing when a car flew by it on the shoulder on the right side just as the doors opened. Call saw it happening and grabbed the back of the boy's sweater seconds before he was about to walk out into the path of the speeding car.
The Norwich City School District, where Call works, shared video of the incident filmed by a camera on the bus. They titled it "Touched By An Angel" and captioned the post, "This is exactly why you should NEVER pass a school bus when the stop arm is out and the red lights are flashing! Quick-thinking, fast-acting Norwich bus driver Samantha call prevented an almost-certain tragedy from occurring."
In the video, one girl on the bus can be heard saying, "That was a good grab!" Meanwhile, Call's boss, NCSD Transportation Supervisor William Loomis, said, "Samantha did an outstanding job. All of our drivers undergo continuous training so they're prepared to handle situations like this. We hope this video helps everyone to realize the dangers of passing a stopped school bus."
Loomis told New York Upstate that when the boy's parents saw the footage "they were very emotional," adding, "It was very alarming for them to see how close this was to being a tragedy. And they were very thankful for the bus driver."
While the close call was reported to the Chenango County Sheriff's Office, the driver has not yet been located.