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In a remarkable act of bravery, a 16-year-old student from St Peter’s College, Gore saved her classmates’ lives by taking control of an out-of-control school bus.
Charlotte Davie sprang into action when the bus driver suffered a medical event, causing the vehicle to swerve dangerously.
The incident occurred last week on the Waipahi run, with 14 children on board.
Initially, Charlotte thought the erratic weaving was due to black ice, but she quickly realised the driver was unconscious.
“She was going over the other side of the road again,” Charlotte said.
With adrenaline pumping, Charlotte, with help from her brothers Luke (12) and Oliver (14), and fellow pupil James Chalmers (14), managed to steer the bus to safety.
“They helped me get the bus to stop. I leant down and pushed the brake and then we stalled the bus and managed to get it to a stop,” Charlotte recounted.
Sergeant Chris Dunbar of Gore praised Charlotte’s quick thinking, saying,
“There’s three things you can do. You can fly, you can fight or you can freeze. In this case Charlotte’s fought.”
He commended all the students involved, saying, “They saved the lives of these children and they saved them from injury.”
At a special assembly, Deputy Principal Darren Jack lauded the pupils’ bravery, noting, “They saw the need immediately and moved to make the situation as safe as possible.”
Charlotte, Luke, Oliver, and James were each presented with an Arohanui Award for their courage, and Charlotte received a police commendation for her life-saving actions.
The school confirmed that the bus driver is well and recovering.
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