Harrowing details of Jeremy Hernandez ordeal on the bus...

[liberal N proud]

Hernandez leaped from his seat near the back of the bus and sprang into action.

"I looked over at the river and my heart started beating fast and I jumped over the seats, opened the back door, kicked the coolers out, turned around and tried to dump kids out of the bus," Hernandez said. "All the kids were lining up by the bus and I could feel the bridge still shaking.

"I was handing kids over to these guys that were on the street right below it."

For the 61 people on the bus -- 50 students, eight staff members, the driver and her two children -- the next half-hour was filled with fear, screams and instinctive action.

Staff members worked to get the children, many of elementary-school age, off the bus. Some didn't want to leave without their bags or towels. Others were making frantic cell phone calls to parents.

"We were trying to calm the kids and let them know that everything was OK," said worker Elefgo Vences.

"It was sort of tough. They were panicking, they were like, 'I want my mom, I want to be safe,' " he said.

http://www.startribune.com/10204/story/1341276.html

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I've been in situations where a large group of kids were panicking

You have to stay calm yourself, and that can be tough. Hernandez and the other adults who helped out were real heroes. I hope the kids have help getting over this, though. Bet many of them will be afraid to cross bridges for a long time to come.