GROVEPORT, Ohio — A Groveport Madison Schools bus driver is being hailed a hero after getting kids to safety when their bus caught fire Thursday.
LaShonna Tanyhill was driving the kids home from school when she saw smoke rising.
Dashcam video from a Madison Township Police officer’s cruiser shows dark, thick smoke engulfing the bus and firefighters working to put it out.
Madison Township Fire Department Chief Derek Robinson said Tanyhill backed into a driveway to turn around as a routine maneuver when there was a loud clunk that everyone on the bus heard.
As the bus headed down Pontius Road, near the Rickenbacker International Airport, another driver passing by signaled Tanyhill to pull over after noticing smoke coming from the bus.
She was able to get all the kids off the bus before the smoke reached the inside.
“I’m sure like most bus drivers, she would say she was just doing her job and following her training, but at the end of the day, we don’t know how any of us are going to react in a certain situation when we’re presented with something like that,” Robinson said.
Firefighters were able to put out the fire within minutes.
The superintendent of the school district, Jamie Grube, thanked Tanyhill for her bravery.
“On behalf of the families and staff of Groveport Madison Schools, I want to take a moment to express our deepest gratitude to LaShonna Tanyhill for her extraordinary bravery and quick thinking during yesterday’s bus fire incident,” Grube said. “Simply put, LaShonna's actions exemplified true heroism. Her courage and composure ensured the safety of our students as she relied on her training and instincts to keep them out of harm's way. Thank you, LaShonna!”
Grube said the school is working with Community Bus Services and the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.