An Ohio brother and sister duo are being hailed as heroes for saving the life of their bus driver, who was suffering a medical emergency on route to school, according to reports.
Charlie, 14, and Catrina, 8, sprang into action to help their bus driver, who was having trouble breathing, and flag down help on the bus’s radio on Dec. 19, according to footage of the rescue provided to ABC News 5 by Crestview Local Schools.
The clip captured Catrina first running up to the bus driver to ask if she was OK, to which the driver shook her head to indicate no.
“I ran up and said, ‘What is wrong?’ and she pointed at her throat, and then I ran back there and got the older kids,” the youngster told the outlet.
Catrina then pulled the parking brake to stop the bus from heading downhill.
Shortly after, the distressed bus driver continued shaking her head and held up to the bus radio, signaling to Catrina’s brother, Charlie, that something was amiss.
The teen then went to the front of the bus to grab the radio and ask for authorities to assist the driver and the bus full of students.
“We need help … Bus driver is not breathing,” Charlie said as he gave details of the bus and their location.
“I was a little bit shaky, and once I got settled down, it was scary. I was trying to keep the kids calm and make sure they don’t get freaked out and try to get them to the back of the bus.” Charlie recalled.
When asked how he knew how to use the radio, the hero student replied, “Yeah, couple ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ movies … you just gotta be calm and do what needs to be done at the time.”
The driver, who said she was grateful that she made a point to teach her students how to use the radio in an emergency, was taken to the hospital and later discharged, the outlet reported.
Crestview Local Schools Superintendent Jim Grubbs also said that, in addition to Catrina and Charlie, an 8th grader named Kali helped students to the back of the bus and called 911, according to “Good Morning America.”
“The actions of these students were truly outstanding,” the superintendent said, per the outlet.
“They remained calm, communicated clearly, and helped one another in a situation that could have been much worse. Their families should be incredibly proud.”
