Bus Driver Honored By BOE For Saving The Day

The West Morris Regional Board of Education took a moment out of their Monday meeting to honor bus driver Kim Bosco who police credit with potentially life saving actions when her bus was in a crash earlier this month.

Bosco was taking her students to Mendham High School when a Hyundai driven by Bettina Elling, a graduate, crossed the double yellow lines and crashed into her bus right in front of Sammy’s on Route 24.

According to police, 22-year-old Elling had fallen asleep at the wheel. And while she was issued a summons for on the morning of June 1, Kim Bosco was praised for her quick thinking.

 “It came to a point where I realized the car was not going to correct itself,” Bosco said. “So I slammed on my brakes and kept as far to the right as I could.”

Police credited Bosco for mitigating the damage caused by the accident and was later hailed by students, parents and colleagues as a hero. The board of education agreed.

Business Administrator Doug Pechanec commended the bus driver for being alert and taking action to keep her passengers safe during the early morning crash and presented her with a plaque in recognition of her actions.

Regional superintendent Mackey Pendergrast was also singing Bosco’s praises.

"When I received the call that morning, all I was told was that one of our buses was in a crash," Pendergrast said. "My first call was to the police, who said it was because of Kim's actions that the kids were safe. I then spoke with the emergency medical personnel, who said her actions saved the day. A little while later, I received an email from a driver who saw the crash, and it said that the driver of the bus was the reason those kids were safe."