SCHOOL BUS CRASH REPORTS 2007

'Hero' Bus Driver Back Behind Wheel
February 19, 2007

Dittmer — Tina Stallings wasn't sure how or if the nightmares would ever end.

But Stallings, of Dittmer, knew she had to get back behind the wheel of her school bus to escape thoughts of the moment three weeks ago when a car slammed into the side of her bus.

So, about 30 minutes after her doctor said she could return to work last week, Stallings, 44, was back in the driver's seat. As eager as she was to turn the key, part of her was terrified.

The two options Stallings had at the time of the accident kept flashing in her mind: Panic and lose control of the bus carrying 26 students from the Northwest School District. Or, stay focused and keep the bus on the road long enough to avoid tumbling down a steep ravine.

Stallings kept her composure, and police credit her with saving the lives of the students on board that day, all of whom were released from the hospital with only minor bumps and bruises. The driver of the car, Kenneth Greer, 35, of St. Clair has been charged with possessing methamphetamine and drug equipment.

Stallings took two days off work after the accident Jan. 30 to nurse a sore neck and back. Her doctor told her then that she could work in the office, not on the road.

Stallings didn't care for that duty. "I was bored," she said. "I begged him to let me go back. I couldn't stand sitting in there. I wanted to get back on the route and see if I could do it."

And each night, the dreams kept coming.

Finally, last Monday she got her chance to drive her bus again.

The children, expecting to see the substitute driver who drove them to school that morning were stunned to see the familiar face in the driver's seat that afternoon. Their hugs surprised her.

"I'm known to run a strict bus," said Stallings, who has driven a bus for the Jefferson County district for 14 years. "But that's because if I was paying attention to the kids and not keeping my eyes on the road, it could have been a lot worse."

She says her anxiety rose as she slowed near the accident site to see the tire marks on the road. She watched every car twice as closely as she did before the crash.

But what helped relieve her stress the most is how parents, students and even strangers have embraced her. She has started a scrapbook that includes cards from students who have never been on her bus, a letter of thanks from Rep. Russ Carnahan and the front page of the high school newspaper declaring Stallings "Our Hero."

The school district gave her a plaque Thursday and a collection of gifts that poured in from local businesses.

Stallings was hoping Thursday's meeting also would give her a chance to share some thanks of her own to John Coffman, 50, of High Ridge, who helped unload students after the accident. She was shocked to learn the Good Samaritan couldn't attend because he was in the hospital with a coronary blockage, but she was pleased to hear that relatives expect him to fully recover.

Meanwhile, Thursday also was Stallings' first full day back. And Tyler Pedroley, 8, of Maple Grove Elementary gave Stallings another item to add to her collection of well-wishes. He gave her a sterling silver angel with the words, "Thank you," on one side and "Tina" on the other.

"He said, 'My mom said you saved my life,'" Stallings said. "I told him I was just doing my job."

And doing her job is what has brought the nightmares to an end, she said.

"Last night," she said Tuesday. "I actually slept."

By Christine Byers

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