A tradie has been labelled a hero after rushing to help kids escape from a horrific bus crash that killed the driver.
The bus was carrying 32 students from Assumption College in Kilmore, one hour’s drive north of Melbourne, when it careened off Wandong Road and into a tree just after 3.30pm on Wednesday.
Carpenter Colby Bartels happened to be driving by at the same time and didn’t hesitate to pull over and rush to the aid of the trapped schoolchildren.
He and other good Samaritans were able to quickly smash a window to help the terrified children out of the vehicle.
The 65-year-old bus driver died at the scene.
Carpenter Colby Bartels (pictured) has been hailed a hero after jumping into action to help 32 Assumption College schoolchildren escape a bus after it crashed
Mr Bartels said he and another man quickly jumped through the broken driver’s-side window to assess the damage.
‘All the kids had sort of gathered at the back of the bus and bags were strewn across the aisle a bit,’ he told Sunrise on Thursday.
‘We tried to calm everyone down a bit before we broke the side window to try and get the kids out.
‘As you can imagine a few of them were a bit shaken up and a bit frightened … The older students were doing a pretty good job of trying to calm down the younger kids.’
The tradie said they managed to smash one of the side windows and help the students out one at a time with the help of a ladder propped against the side of the bus.
Mr Bartels’ quick-thinking helped garner the nickname ‘hero tradie’, which he said he doesn’t agree with.
‘I’m not a hero, I was at the right place at the right time as were many people passing by, we all stopped to help and did the right thing,’ he said.
The bus careened off of Wandong Road near Kilmore north of Melbourne and into a tree just after 3.30pm on Wednesday, killing the driver (pictured)
The school updated parents on the seriousness of the crash just after 5:30pm on Wednesday, saying some students were treated for ‘minor injuries’ at the scene.
‘Thankfully, none of the students were seriously injured,’ the Facebook post reads.
‘The College immediately notified all families and Principal Paul Finneran and other staff travelled to the scene.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved in this accident.’
The college thanked emergency services for their ‘rapid and professional response’ while committing to counselling and support for students and families.