Ohio brother and sister step into action to help save their school bus driver’s life when she stops breathing
What started as a routine school bus ride in Ohio quickly turned into a moment no one on board will forget. When a school bus driver suddenly began suffering a medical emergency, it was two young siblings who stepped up, stayed calm, and helped get her the help she needed.
Surveillance footage from inside the bus shows the tense moments as they unfold. Eight-year-old Catrina was sitting in the seat closest to the driver when she noticed something was wrong. The driver appeared to be struggling to breathe. Concerned, Catrina asked if she was okay. The driver shook her head no.
That was all Catrina needed to see. The video, later released by Crestview Local Schools in Ashland, shows Catrina immediately leaving her seat and running toward the back of the bus. She didn’t scream or panic. Instead, she went straight to someone she trusted. Her older brother, Charlie, is a seventh grader.
Charlie wasted no time. As soon as he understood what was happening, he rushed to the front of the bus and grabbed the radio. Using the same system the driver had shown students how to use during regular safety instructions, Charlie contacted the school to report the emergency. At the same time, an eighth grader named Kali also stepped in and called 911 to make sure help was on the way.
According to ABC News, the driver had previously made a point of teaching her regular riders how to use the radio in case of an emergency. That lesson ended up making all the difference. She was taken to the hospital, treated, and later discharged.
Charlie later explained how instinct kicked in during the moment. “When I realized that something was going on, [I] went up there and grabbed the radio and then called the school because I knew that that was the quickest way to get help,” Charlie told WEWS5.
For Catrina, watching her brother stay focused left a lasting impression. “My brother … in the inside when something’s going wrong, he’s scared, but on the outside, he’s like calm and concentrated,” she said.
School officials praised the students for their quick thinking and teamwork. Crestview Local Schools Superintendent Jim Grubbs said their response could have changed the outcome entirely. “The actions of these students were truly outstanding,” Grubbs said. “They remained calm, communicated clearly, and helped one another in a situation that could have been much worse. Their families should be incredibly proud.”
Stories like this don’t come along every day. It’s easy to forget how capable kids can be until moments like this prove it. No one on that bus was trained as a first responder, but because they remembered what they’d been taught and trusted one another, they acted when it mattered most.
The footage has since gone viral, not because it’s dramatic, but because it’s reassuring. It shows kids doing exactly what adults hope they would do in a crisis. Stay calm, speak up, and help each other.
For one Ohio bus driver, a routine safety lesson and two quick-thinking siblings made all the difference.