Good Samaritans rescue driver after bus flips over into retention pond in Town of Norway
Nov 26, 2024
Two good samaritans rescued a bus driver after she crashed into another car and then flipped the bus into a retention pond early Tuesday morning. It happened just after 6 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 36 and Wind Lake Road. For Jennifer Vear, it was just another morning for her as she was about to take her daily walk near Wind Lake. "It was a very loud crash. I was parked right about here. Can you imagine like seeing a bus coming past you at a high rate of speed? It was quite shocking," Vear explained. The Dairyland bus was heading west on Wind Lake Road when it collided with another driver. RELATED LINKS:-Read our previous coverage of this storyWatch: Good samaritans rescue driver after bus flips over in Town of Norway Good samaritans rescue driver after bus flips over into retention pond in Town of Norway"I realized she was in the water and another guy had witnessed it too, and I asked if he could jump in the water and get her out. I'm like 'we gotta get her out of the water.' I don't know if she hit her head. She yelled out that she was fine," Vear added. The man jumped into the water and into the bus to help the driver. "She was right there. We got her up. I had her right here. That's when the sheriff came and got her the rest of the way," she said. Body camera footage from the Racine County Sheriff's Office shows deputies arriving on scene. Video shows the bus driver standing at the bottom of the retention pond. The driver is okay and was rescued thanks to Vear and another man. "You just have to act, especially when you realize someone's in danger. You can't think about it," Vear said. When Vear met TMJ4 News at the scene and saw it again, she said it was surreal, as parts of the bus were scattered all along the road. "She stopped and hugged me and was like 'thank you so much'," Vear said. "Do you believe in being at the right place at the right time," Reporter Jenna Rae asked Vear. "I really do, I really do cause it's definitely happened before, and we definitely were supposed to be here for her," Vear responded. We reached out to Dairyland, the bus company the driver worked for, and asked several questions regarding the incident. They didn't answer any of our questions, but sent the following statement: "Dairyland Buses can confirm that a bus within our fleet was involved in a roadway accident earlier today in Norway. There were no injuries reported to the driver, who was the only person aboard the bus, or to the other motorist. We thank first responders for their quick and effective assistance on the scene."Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error