Bus Driver Saves Student's Life

Ginger Maxville

Young children tend to put almost anything in their mouths. Perhaps its a right of passage and a way of experiencing & exploring the world around them with more than just one of their five senses. Perhaps its just a fidgety behavior done out of sheer boredom. Whichever is the case, that kind of behavior can sadly lead to very scary and life threatening situations as choking can be common. If it fits in their mouth, it most likely can choke them. So when an adventurous five year old student on Ginger Maxville's bus started a commotion, her first assumption was the he was playing around stating, "I thought he was just teasing me and I thought he just wasn't following my instructions about sitting down."

The child's persistence along with his sister explaining that "he had a coin stuck in his throat" caused the bus driver to 'switch gears' and think through the life saving classes from years past. After pulling the bus over into a safe spot she was able to unbuckle and move to the seat where the child was now turning red from lack of oxygen. She quickly scooped him up, positioned him in front of her, and began performing the Heimlich maneuver. After several forceful thrusts the coin dislodged and hit the floor much to the relief of everyone on scene. Still in high adrenaline mode she leaned down and sternly requested to the five year old, "Don't you ever do that again you scared me to death, you hear me?" She then hugged the frightened little guy and added, "I thank the Lord you are ok!"

With all the fanfare that has poured out for Ginger, she is taking it all in stride insisting that keeping kids safe is just part of her job and that she is grateful for years of CPR and rescue training that allowed her to come through in this specific situation. "I don't think I deserve a lot of credit...it was just God working through me and I'm just glad we got it done." Manford Public Schools in Oklahoma is lucky to have such a dedicated and alert employee that takes the wellbeing of her students so personally. She is truly a hero even if she doesn't think she deserves the title.