‘I’m just a mother who got 40 kids off to safety.’ SC bus driver talks about fire
Bernadine Reed had only driven a school bus for the Darlington County School District for 45 days when she saved 40 elementary school students from a blaze, district Superintendent Tim Newman said Wednesday.
Newman said after the early morning crash Tuesday, he now considers Reed a hero.
“As we saw from the pictures that were out there ... it was a very scary situation, but I’m so thankful for Ms. Reed and the actions she took,” Newman said.
Reed was stopped at a train crossing when a car ran into the back of school bus, she said.
“A little girl from the back of the bus said, ‘It’s smoking,’ ” Reed said.
Quickly opening the bus door, Reed ushered the 40 uninjured children off the bus and into a nearby field, where they stood in a circle and watched their school bus burn, Reed said.
“It wasn’t hard at all because they listened and did everything I told them,” Reed said.
Reed, a former special educator, said she was just doing the job she loved.
“I’m just a mother who got 40 kids off to safety. ... I went to my next ride that afternoon,” Reed said. “This is what I do. This is what I love.”
Newman said the district works to make sure all of its students are prepared for situations like this. The schools each have students go through bus evacuation drills twice a year, he said. The last one was done in October.
The school district said they heard the driver of the car that hit the bus was OK. He was cited for “driving too fast for the conditions,” according to the S.C. Highway Patrol.
“We’re thankful that the situation turned out the way it did,” Newman said.
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 1:39 PM.
