A Walker County woman is feeling grateful after helping save a man from a burning car.
The accident occurred on Jan. 31 around 3:30 p.m. A Walker County School bus and another vehicle collided on the side of AL 102 eastbound at the intersection with AL 124.
The bus was traveling from Carbon Hill Elementary and Junior High.
Beth Redker arrived at the scene after the collision occurred.
“I was leaving my work and coming back to Fayette and I pulled over the railroad tracks and started up the hill and I see this bus in the road. The front end was off like vertical from the ground,” said Redker.
Soon after arriving, Redker and other bystanders noticed the other vehicle had burst into flames. The six students in the Walker County school bus quickly began to exit the vehicle. Every student and the driver made it out safely with no reported injuries.
Superintendent Dr. Dennis Willingham attributed that to practiced bus evacuation drills every student in the system attends twice a year.
“We are prepared. Thankfully, yesterday our kids were prepared. We had a couple of kids who took the lead and they knew exactly what to do and they attributed that to the bus evaluation drills that they’ve done every year once they’ve been in school,” said Dr. Willingham.
But the driver of the other vehicle did not have that luxury.
Redker soon realized this and jumped into action.
"As the car was starting to catch on fire someone else said the man’s still in the car. They kind of yelled and was like oh we better go get him out,” said Redker.
Redker and two other men made their way across the highway to grab the older man. When they removed him from the burning vehicle, he was disoriented.
“He was worried about his grandson and he thought that he had him in the car but he was actually on his way to pick him up,” said Redker.
After tending to the man and the students on board, Redker said she was thankful to know everyone was okay.
“I have to credit God on that too because he’s had me go through those things to be ready for certain moments just like this. So right time, right place and God gets the glory,” said Redker.
The damage to the bus was so severe, the transportation director for the school system Mike Scott said it will no longer run routes. It could possibly be totaled.
The cause of this collision is still under investigation.