WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Applause filled the auditorium Thursday as four students from Holy Redeemer High School in Wilkes-Barre were recognized for their bravery and courage in a recent school bus accident.
After realizing their bus driver was having a medical emergency, the classmates worked together to save his life while keeping the other passengers safe.
"I ran up to the front of the bus. The bus is rolling backwards, so I tried to find a way to stop it, and after we got the bus driver out of the seat, I was able to put the parking brake on and turn the bus off," said sophomore Kaden Ayre.
"We kind of all just worked as a team, like it was almost like we rehearsed it. I can't believe we worked so well together," said sophomore Lainey Ann Conway.
The bus company says the bus driver is doing well and that he is grateful for the quick actions of those four teenagers.
"We all knew him on some kind of level, so we were all very much going to help him," said sophomore Ryan Martinelli.
The students say they are humbled by the ceremony and are still processing what happened that day.
"I wouldn't consider myself much of a hero," said junior Max Filchak. "I just did what I had to do."
"It's still like weird. I remember coming to school like the day after, and everyone was like talking about it and saying, 'Oh, Lainey, you're a hero,' when it feels like it didn't even happen. It still doesn't even feel real," Conway said.
While the school bus driver was unable to attend the ceremony, many officials were there to thank the students on his behalf.
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