After Bus Crash, Truck Driver Helped Rescue Children Before Dying

ALMA, GA – A truck driver who died last week after crashing into the back of a school bus helped rescue children who were trapped on the bus before collapsing.

According to the Georgia State Patrol, Jonathan Grayer, 25, of Jacksonville, Florida, crashed into the back of a school bus that was dropping students off at the intersection of GA 4 and Jeremiah Lane just after 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.

Grayer was driving a rental truck, according to the crash report, when he crashed into the bus, which was stopped in the outside northbound lane of GA 4 with its flashing lights on as students got off the bus.

Grayer was transported by ambulance to Bacon County Hospital. He died at the hospital.

The school bus driver, a 64-year-old male, as well as six students between the ages of 8 and 16 were taken to local hospitals for treatment of both serious and minor injuries, according to the crash report.

Grayer's parents Veronica and Isaiah Grayer told News4Jax their son got out of his damaged truck to help children who had become trapped inside the bus.

“He told a little child that they were going to get ice cream. And the parents said the little kid asked, ‘Where is the man that took me off the bus? Because we were supposed to get ice cream,'” Veronica Grayer told News4Jax.

After helping the students, Grayer collapsed, his father told the news station.

Governor Brian Kemp tweeted about the crash last week, saying he and his family were praying for the family and loved ones of the truck driver and the students who were injured.

The crash remains under investigation.