The driver of the truck was a 25-year-old resident of Florida. He passed away after he was taken to a hospital.
Human beings can be incredible during crisis situations. Their natural instincts and adrenaline kick in and they are spurred into action when they know they have to do something before someone gets hurt. Road accidents are common in the US as more than 38,000 people die every year in crashes on U.S. roadways, according to the association for safe international road travel. It is amazing how people come to the aid of others in these scary moments.
Recently, in Georgia, there was a motor vehicle accident that caused the death of one man, a truck driver. 25-year-old Jonathan Grayer was driving a Ryder box truck when it collided with a school bus that was dropping students off. The collision caused the back of the bus to crumple up and the front of the truck didn't fare well either. After the collision, the truck driver was spurred into action.
He did something remarkable. He got out of the truck and started helping students before collapsing, authorities said, according to CNN. He later died when he was taken to the hospital. "He must've been running on adrenaline, and his body gave out," said Cpl. Shane Copeland with the Georgia State Patrol. "He was pretty much done by that point."
When parents send their kids to school, they are always worried but this incident which took place on the afternoon of August 11, 2020, shook the entire community of Alma in Bacon County. The school bus was making its usual stop just outside of Alma when the incident took place. "The impact sent the back of the box truck into the air, leaving metal scattered across the highway," Copeland said.
It was incredible that Jonathan of Jacksonville, Florida then jumped out and rushed on to the school bus, Copeland said.
The footage from the bus' surveillance camera shows that he lifted seats, as if he had superhuman strength, to save children who were trapped under it. There were 10 students in the bus when the accident took place. After helping them get out, Jonathan collapsed and was taken to a hospital when the emergency services arrived.
The bus driver, Jerry Sweat, also helped students get out the bus and he too was taken to the hospital along with the children, all of whom faced non-life-threatening injuries. At least six children were taken to a hospital though each of them was injured, including broken bones and bleeding. However, most were considered non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities said three children were taken to a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, and three others to Bacon County Hospital. At least two helicopters airlifted some of the injured students, Bacon County Emergency Management Agency Director Danny Turner told WSAV-TV. The students ranged from elementary to high school age, as per WSAV-TV.
“We’ve had other accidents and tragedies and things like that in the past, but this one… had you shaken the most out of all of them,” Tyler Beach, a Bacon County fire and EMS compliance officer, said. "It was actually unbelievable for a population of 11,000 in Bacon County," he said, adding, "We couldn’t believe the support and all the resources that were available in a moment’s notice. I can’t say thank you enough to everyone who showed up and helped respond."
Gov. Brian Kemp responded to the "terrible news," in a tweet. He said he was sending prayers to "the family and loved ones of the truck driver who lost their life and the students who are injured."
An investigation into the vehicle crash is ongoing.
References:
https://www.asirt.org/safe-travel/road-safety-facts/
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/14/us/alma-bus-crash-trnd/index.html
