‘She is forever my hero’: 5th-grader’s quick thinking helps save bus driver

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KGAN) - An Iowa fifth grader’s quick thinking helped save a bus driver who was struggling to breathe.

And it was all caught on camera.

It started as a routine ride home from Viola Gibson Elementary School, until bus driver Christine Houston said a strong cologne scent set off a coughing fit, and her breathing kept getting worse.

“It just kept progressively getting worse, and I kept going to at least two to three stops before I realized I can’t go anymore,” Houston said.

Fifth grader Bella Scott says she knew something was wrong and decided she had to do something.

“She was wheezing. She was struggling to breathe, and obviously she needed help. You can’t just watch something like that happen,” Bella Scott said.

She jumped into action and called the one person she knew could help — her dad.

Nick Scott was nearby, and at first he thought Bella just wanted more time on her phone, until he heard the fear in her voice.

“And the third time that she called, I could hear the terror in her voice, and I knew something was wrong,” Nick Scott said.

Nick Scott got on the bus and saw Houston was struggling to breathe. He called 911, then helped the students call their families and stay calm.

“She wanted to get the kids home, which I understand, but with 20 kids or so left on the bus, we couldn’t risk something happening. So I basically told her, too bad, we’re calling 911, and then you could kind of see the relief on her face,” he said.

Houston says Bella Scott did what students learned during bus safety training: call a trusted adult.

“She called the one that she knew would answer, and that was her dad,” Houston said.

Emergency responders arrived, and the bus driver got the help she needed. Cedar Rapids Schools later recognized Bella Scott for her quick actions.

“She is forever my hero, and I’ve said this from the beginning,” Houston said. “Not all heroes wear a cape. She had a cell phone with a backpack. She called her dad. And I don’t know, I, I just, I’m totally grateful for her.”

Houston says she’s always cared deeply about the students on her route, and Bella Scott’s actions showed that care goes both ways.