UNION TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- A brave act is getting three students the title of high school heroes in Luzerne County.
The Northwest Area students managed to stop their bus after their driver had a medical emergency.
Friends Joe May, Sam Troy and Ashton Strish say they're just regular high school teenagers but people at Northwest Area High School near Shickshinny say differently.
In an email sent out by their principal to faculty and staff, Principal Ryan Miner writes:
“I wanted to take a minute to tell you all about 3 student heroes here at Northwest.”
Miner explains that on April 11th, the three boys were on their way back to the high school riding on Route 11 after leaving the Wilkes-Barre Area Career and Technical Center, when their bus driver suffered a medical emergency and passed out.
Joe, a 16-year-old sophomore, says he just snapped into action.
“So, then I grabbed the wheel and I pulled it over and I put in park and then I unbuckled her, and we ran around to get her,” said Joe. “Thank god we pulled in front of this guy's house, I don't know his name.”
As Sam, a 15-year-old freshman and Ashton, a 16-year-old sophomore got their driver out of the van, a man came out of this house, prepared to do CPR.
“I got the doors unlocked and [Sam] got her out, put her the side, he put his hoodie under her and then me and Joe grabbed ours and put them on top so she wouldn't get cold,” said Ashton.
“I got her out of the car, laid her on the ground, and the guy came out and I guess he was medically certified,” said Sam.
“Sam laid her down, and [the guy] was getting ready to do CPR and then she started breathing again, then I called 911 to get the ambulance over,” said Joe.
The boys say they've heard their driver is ok but haven't seen her since the incident.
Now folks in their school are hailing their brave actions.
“Automatic reaction, I don't know what else to say about it,” said Joe.
“I don't consider myself a hero, I just did what I thought was right,” said Sam.
“We just did something we should have, we did what anyone else would have done at the time,” said Ashton.
The principal says the boys were recognized at a school board meeting this past Wednesday and were given gift cards to area stores.