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Everyday heroes: 11 tales of American heroes

8. Jeremy Wuitschick takes the wheel

Jeremy Wuitschick was reading about a superhero how grabs the keys from the ignition of a speeding vehicle.

Moments later, the 13-year old was doing the same thing as his bus driver collapsed as the bus was nearing his school in Milton, Wash. 

"I was just thinking I don't want to die," Jeremy told the Seattle Times. "I turned to the right. Turned to the side of the road. Took the keys out of the ignition. We started slowing down, and I said, 'Somebody call 911!'"

The Washington State seventh grader and another student, Johnny Wood, did chest compressions on the driver. A school administrator just happened to be behind the bus on his way to work, when he saw the bus veer to the side of the road. He quickly boarded the bus and began administering CPR to the unconscious bus driver, according to ABC's Good Morning America.

The 12 students quickly exited the bus. The whole episode was captured on video.

Police Chief Bill Rhoads said: "We're just happy the kid was thinking on his feet," Rhoads said. "(Jeremy did) a great job."

Middle-school students who ride the bus go over emergency procedures a couple of times a year, Jeff Short, deputy superintendent for Fife Public Schools told The Seattel Times. They learn what to do if the driver becomes incapacitated and how to get off the bus safely.

"It's just for this type of situation," Short said. "I think they did an outstanding job."

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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