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School bus driver rescues woman from overturned car

Larry Cornett was driving on his morning route for Burke County (N.C.) Public Schools when another bus driver notified him of a crash on the route. He pulled the driver out of her car and waited with her on his bus until help arrived.

January 15, 2015
1 min to read


MORGANTON, N.C. — A school bus driver helped a woman out of her overturned car while driving his route here on Monday morning, The News Herald reports.

Larry Cornett was driving on his route when, just before 7 a.m., another bus driver notified him of a crash on the route, according to the newspaper. Cornett spotted the car, which was upside-down, and the driver was still inside. He told The News Herald that he pulled the driver out of her car, and bus driver Dawn Campbell radioed John Cansler, director of transportation for Burke County Public Schools, who called 911.

Cornett waited with the woman on his bus until a North Carolina Highway Patrol officer arrived, according to the newspaper. While Cornett watched over her, Oak Hill Elementary School sent another bus to take the students on his bus to school. The woman was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, The News Herald reports.

Cornett told the newspaper the situation was "something you don't train for" and praised Cansler and Principal Cathy Williams for helping him through it. Larry Putnam, the district’s superintendent, called Cornett’s actions “another example of our employees going above and beyond outside of their regular duties.”

To read the full story, go here.

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