School bus driver Imunek Williams is being hailed a hero after evacuating 37 students from a bus just before it went up in flames.
Williams, who is 8 months pregnant, was nearly two hours into her route that day transporting 37 students, ranging from kindergartners to high schoolers, to Milwaukee Academy of Science. But, with half a mile left to go before they arrived at the school, Williams realized something was off.
“I started to smell something funny at the stoplight, and I just thought it was normal smoke coming from another car, because I always smell smoke or weird smells,” stated Williams, “But then as I started to drive more, the smell and the smoke started to get thicker.”
Williams told local news outlet WISN that she almost kept driving the two additional minutes it would have taken to reach the school, but decided to listen to her intuition and pull over. Luckily, she did, because that “would end up being a life-saving decision.”
Williams stated, “My mommy instincts kicked in really fast.” After pulling over, she attempted to relay a distress message to dispatch, but the smoke made the situation even more difficult. “I couldn’t barely get what I was trying to say out because of the smoke hitting me in the face in my eyes,” recalled Williams.
“And I was like, OK, let’s just get off the bus…I just told the kids, let’s get off. I evacuated the bus, made sure everyone was off, and made them line up against a gate,” continued Williams.
She was the last person off the bus; it was just in the nick of time. “As soon as we stepped off the bus, I turned around, and the bus was just…in flames,” said Williams.
Williams was transported to the hospital for precautionary measures, where emergency crews evaluated her and her baby. Both were deemed healthy, and Williams is still on track for her August due date.
“I’m still kind of shocked after seeing the aftermath of the bus,” said Williams. But, “not even a bus fire will stop her from making sure” her students get to finish out their school year.
Williams was back to work the next day to pick up students, continuing with her regular route. “[T]hey actually weren’t expecting to see me…They were like, ‘Oh, you’re back? You didn’t get burned up?’ I said, ‘No, I’m still here,'” said Williams.
“Honestly, it feels good seeing the kids this morning and having them thanking me, the school thanking me,” stated Williams, adding, “It just feels good that I was able to get them off and no one was hurt. That’s just my biggest concern because if it was my kid on the bus, I would want the bus driver to do the exact same thing.”
An investigation is still underway on what ignited the bus fire, but Williams’ heroic actions saved her, her unborn baby, and all the students on board her bus.
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