A group of brave middle schoolers in Mississippi became heroes Wednesday when they prevented a catastrophic accident after their bus driver suffered a medical emergency on a busy highway.
Driver Leah Taylor, 46, was transporting approximately 40 students from Hancock Middle School in Hancock County when she experienced a severe asthma attack. Though she attempted to reach her medication, Taylor lost consciousness before she could use it.
The students responded immediately to the crisis unfolding around them.
Twelve-year-old Jackson Casnave, a sixth grader seated right behind Taylor, saw the vehicle start to drift and quickly jumped up to grab the steering wheel while shouting for other students to get help.
“I didn’t have time to process my emotions,” Casnave said. “I just wanted to make sure that nobody got hurt.”
Working alongside Casnave, fellow sixth grader Darrius Clark, also 12, pressed the brake pedal. The pair successfully guided the bus onto the highway median and shifted it into park.
Meanwhile, Clark’s older sister Kayleigh, a 13-year-old eighth grader, rushed from her seat in the back to contact emergency services. She later recalled struggling to communicate with the 911 operator due to the chaos and screaming from frightened classmates.
“I was scared, but also I had to help,” said Kayleigh Clark.
Eighth grader Destiny Cornelius, 15, also hurried to assist and spotted Taylor clutching a nebulizer. Cornelius helped administer the breathing treatment while sixth grader McKenzy Finch, 13, supported the driver’s head.
When Taylor’s phone began ringing, Finch answered and informed the school district’s transportation department about the emergency situation.
“I’m grateful for my students,” said Taylor, who has completely recovered from the incident. “They’re the ones that saved my life and everybody else’s on that bus.”
The school celebrated the heroic students during a special pep rally on Friday, and they will receive a special lunch outing at a restaurant they choose next week.
“What they did took courage,” principal Dr. Melissa Saucier said. “They didn’t wait for somebody to step in, they stepped up themselves, and that says a lot about their character.”
