They say that you see a person’s true character in an emergency.
Sometimes, it’s not until disaster strikes that we catch a glimpse of the steel and strength at the heart of the quiet, bookish boy, the warm and chatty mom, or even the cute fluffy household pet, as we saw in the incredibly sweet case of the pooch that saved his owner from committing suicide.
If you ask me, these everyday heroes are real-life superheroes who maybe don’t even know themselves how brave they are until they find themselves put to the test in a terrifying situation.
And, late last week, that’s exactly how a whole bunch of everyday heroes got their capes. A bus carrying two high school track teams crashed in Jasper, TX, drawing 15 ambulances and countless emergency crews from all over the area.
It was a horrifying scene that ended without tragedy, and with heartwarming community bonding, largely thanks to the indomitable spirit of all the EMS staff, and every single passerby and student who rallied together to save the day.
[H/T: Love What Matters]
It's unbelievably beautiful that these two young girls, having gone through one of the most traumatic experiences of their lives, and about to be treated for their injuries, are able to summon up the strength and character to hold hands and join together in prayer for one another and for the other kids and chaperones involved in the crash.
The scene was described beautifully to Love What Matters, "The most touching scene was two girls, each strapped to backboards next to each other, and they were holding hands and praying."
They were far from the only ones taking a prayerful pause as the chaos unfolded.
The Facebook post adds, "I saw a lot of prayer today. The man who went to his knees behind the wrecked bus was very moving to see."
We can only imagine he was thanking his higher power for protecting the children involved in the crash.
Adults of every stripe were also on hand to offer their prayers and assistance whenever possible.
The terrifying crash attracted a massive EMS presence almost instantly, even though the area is underfunded and can't always supply ambulances quickly.
The EMS workers were supplemented by parents, the coaches who were on the bus, and passersby doing everything they could to help.
But, said the poster, what was truly moving was to see how the students, even in a moment of sheer terror, reached out to help absolutely everyone that they could.
"…What had the biggest impact on me was how the students, themselves, responded to each other. Those with less serious injuries were comforting those with more serious injuries."
The post goes on to describe how the kids supported one another, saying, "I saw large muscular athletes who were taking care of the smaller students. That had to be comforting to them, to know that their stronger big brothers were there for them and helping their little brothers and sisters."
The crash itself is still under investigation. The kids were on their way to a track meet on the school bus, and it appears that the driver overcorrected after skidding.
All 31 people on board were treated for injuries, ranging from minor to relatively severe. As of Monday, April 4, all patients had been released from the hospital.
While the bus certainly looks the worse for wear, it seems simply miraculous that there were no life-threatening injuries after such a tumultuous accident.
We have a hunch that someone upstairs was looking out for these kiddos.
If you're stunned by this remarkable scene and the beautiful way that the community responded, make sure to SHARE on Facebook!
