A pregnant bus driver from Wisconsin is being hailed a hero after she evacuated a bus full of children moments before the vehicle burst into flames.
Imunek (pronounced “I’m unique”) Williams, who is eight months pregnant, was driving her normal bus route in Milwaukee when she noticed her bus start to fill with smoke. She immediately pulled over and instructed the 37 students, who ranged in age from kindergarten to high school, to get off the bus.
“My mommy instincts kicked in really fast,” Williams told WTMJ-TV.
Williams said that the smoke was so thick, she had difficulty calling for help on the radio.
“I couldn’t barely get what I was trying to say out because of the smoke was hitting me in the face in my eyes so I was just like OK forget the radio. Just got the kids off the bus.”
She made sure all the children lined up along a nearby fence, then the bus ignited.
“I was the last person off,” said Williams, per WTMJ-TV. “Once I get off, I turned around and I just seen [sic] flames. I wanted to make sure that I was safe, baby was safe and you know if it was my kid on the bus I would’ve wanted one of the bus drivers to act the same way that I did.”
“It just feels good that I was able to get them off and no one was hurt,” she said.
Williams was taken to the hospital as a precaution, but both she and her baby are doing fine. She showed up to work the next morning ready to go.
“They actually weren’t expecting to see me,” Williams said of the students. “They were like, ‘Oh you’re back? You didn’t get burned up?’ I said ‘No, I’m still here.'”
Williams said she was happy that everyone made it through the incident safely. “Everyone’s okay so that just makes me happy,” she said.
