Idaho Elementary School Students Notice Bus Driver’s Abnormal Behavior — End Up Saving His Life

Dec 02, 2021 by apost team

Medical emergencies can be incredibly scary. If you happen to see someone going through something and need to help them out, it's important to keep a calm composure and time is usually of the essence. Unless you're trained on how to act in emergencies, it doesn't matter if you're 15 or 50, helping someone out in a time of need can be difficult no matter what.

That's what makes this story from 2019 extra special. A bus driver named Larry Borchardt had been driving a bus full of students on Feb. 27, 2019, from West Canyon Elementary School in Caldwell, Idaho, when he began to feel intense pain in his head. Soon after his vision went blurry and it was clear he was having a medical emergency. He told KTVB:

“I got a massive pain in my head, it really hurt bad. Then my vision went. I couldn’t see much of anything, everything was blurry.”

Borchardt managed to pull over the bus in time and put the brakes on before he told the kids to stay seated. He doesn't remember what happened next. But thanks to two incredibly courageous young boys — fourth-grader Jacob Farris and fifth-grader Tyler Thompson — Borchardt was able to get the medical help he needed quickly. 

The boys spoke with the news outlet and explained that they immediately saw that something was wrong with their favorite bus driver. After he leaned over and had his hand on his heart and was breathing heavily, one of the boys asked if he was ok. Immediately they took action and likely saved Borchardt's life.

Tyler happened to have his phone with him so he called 9-1-1 immediately, while Jacob helped to keep the other students on the bus calm. They admitted they were "terrified" and thought Borchardt might even die. 

Soon enough a number of vehicles pulled up including police, ambulance and fire department cars. Jacob described the scene as a "crazy roadhouse" but luckily, help had finally arrived and the bus driver was quickly taken to hospital. Doctors weren't able to figure out exactly what kind of medical emergency Borchardt had, but they treated it as a mini-stroke and put him on medication. 

The two young boys were hailed as heroes and Jacob said:

"We wanted to help right away. We didn't want to stop until he was better."

Meanwhile, Tyler likened the boys' response to football, when he said, "like in football, you gotta like plan this out." Their approach was to "huddle" and "talk it out" as they planned how they were "going to help Larry out." Jacob added:

"We just tried our best and tried to help our friend."

Borchardt was incredibly thankful and moved by what the two young students did that day. As he fought off tears he said:

"Fifth graders, you'd think they'd panic when they see an adult go down or something, but they stood right up and did what needed to be done and I'm so proud of them."

Meanwhile, the boys talked about how Borchardt always tells them to have a good day and that he's their favorite driver. Jacob said:

"He's my favorite bus driver. I wouldn't give him up for the world."

apost.com

What an incredible story of two young boys that thought quickly and saved an adult's life. Do you know of any young children who have done something courageous like this? Let us know then pass this on so Tyler and Jacob's bravery can be appreciated by others!