School Bus Driver Protects Students When Violent Man Boards Bus

When a man forces his way onto a bus, charges through it and gets into a tussle with a student, the New York driver calls police, evacuates students, and pushes the man off the bus. She is being hailed a hero.

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March 28, 2017

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BRENTWOOD, N.Y. — A school bus driver here is being hailed a hero for her quick actions on Friday, evacuating students when police said a violent man boarded the bus, CBS New York reports.

Police told the news source that a man, who appeared to be psychotic, forced his way onto the school bus. The driver told the students to exit the bus using the back door or any emergency door. The driver said that then the man charged through the stairs and seats.

The driver also said that one student stayed with her when a tussle broke out between the man and a student, and that they pushed the man off the bus, according to a WCBS News radio story. The driver had already called police, CBS New York reports, and they arrived within minutes to take the man to the hospital for a medical and psychiatric evaluation.

Thomas Smith, the executive director of operations at Suffolk Transportation Service, which employs the driver, told CBS New York that the driver utilized her training in a “very difficult situation.” Meanwhile, Brentwood Union Free School District spokesman Felix Adeyeye told the news source that “this is the perfect opportunity for the Brentwood School District certainly to celebrate the bravery of this school bus driver.”

To read the full CBS New York story and listen to the radio version, go here.

Topics:driver training New York Safety

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