Gilroy Bus Driver Of Year Emulates Grace Under Pressure

GILROY, CA — Many know just how patient school bus drivers are. What may go unnoticed is how heroic some are when faced with a life and death situation like the one Maria del Carmen Collins faced when her rig with 43 students on board was struck by a driver deemed by the California Highway Patrol to be under the influence.

The Gilroy Unified School District nominated Collins as the Northern California Bus Driver of the Year by the CHP. The 48-year-old Morgan Hills woman will be honored by Commissioner Warren A. Stanley among others in a ceremony at the district boardroom on Arroyo Circle at 9:30 a.m. on May 1 — almost a year to the day in which her stellar strength and calm demeanor protected the students in her care.

During her routine afternoon bus route last May, a vehicle careening toward the bus on Monterey Highway startled her into an emergency mode. She was taken to task in a number of ways in that one incident.

No one was hurt on the bus. But the outcome could have been much different if for one the children weren't diligent about staying seated when the vehicle swerved out of control, slamming into the front of the bus. Her instincts told her not to open the bus door as she was preparing to unload one of the children at the driveway where the crash occurred.

"I was scared. I don't expect anything like that to happen. At first when I saw him, in my mind, he was far away. But he was coming fast and went across four lanes," Collins told Patch. "I had my hand on the handle (of the door), but my brain told me not to open it."

It's a good thing. That door ended up collapsing as a result of the front-end impact.

Then, some of the children panicked on the scene. One took off from the rear door, and she had to negotiate the broken front door to chase him down and comfort him.

The fear of this mother of four turned into mama-bear anger when she heard the injured driver more concerned with apologizing to his girlfriend that he wrecked her vehicle.

"I thought: 'Are you kidding?'" she said.

The grace-under-pressure bus driver continued with her duties even as the parents arrived and took charge of their children. She had them show identification and sign the students out according to school district guidelines.

The crash impacted Collins physically and mentally. To this day, her back is sore at times. Moreover, it took her a little while to get back on the saddle of the bus driver seat because of the effect on her psyche. But Collins is more than anything a hard-working survivor.

She's worked in an animal rescue facility in Palo Alto and on a mushroom farm in Morgan Hill before coming to work for the school district.

To those who know her, she's a testament to a brave soul who lives for doing the right thing.

“Carmen Collins’ bravery is indicative of the ‘above and beyond’ approach so many of our staff members demonstrate every day on behalf of our students. The entire GUSD community is grateful to Carmen for the selfless care she showed our students on the afternoon of May 3. The fact that no one aboard Bus 15 was seriously injured is also a testament to all of the children on board who knew the rules of the bus prior to the accident and then followed Carmen’s instructions to ensure their safety,” district Superintendent Deborah A. Flores said.

Transportation Supervisor Patrishia Tice, who signed the nomination letter, shared that Collins is a leader among the drivers and always puts the children first.

Here's the letter:

"Gilroy Unified School District would like to nominate Mrs. Maria Del Carmen (Carmen) Collins for School Bus Driver of the year for 2018. Mrs. Collins was originally certified to drive school buses on Dec. 18, 2016. Since her certification she has driven 24,982 miles accident free.

On May 3, 2018, Mrs. Collins was driving on her regular afternoon route, delivering the
remaining 43 students home. Mrs. Collins was traveling southbound on Monterey Road,
approaching a stop at 10695 Monterey Rd. As she stopped the bus in front of the student's
driveway, Mrs. Collins noticed a red SUV traveling northbound at a high rate of speed; it was
later determined to be approximately 85 mph. As the SUV approached, the driver lost control of
the vehicle, crossed into incoming traffic, rolled several times, and crashed into the front
passenger windshield and entrance door area. The SUV came to a rest on its side approximately
four feet from the passenger entrance door of the school bus.

Mrs. Collins assessed the scene and was in the process of reporting the collision to our dispatch
office when she noticed one of her students outside the bus. He had escaped using the left rear
emergency door and was running southbound in the roadway. Mrs. Collins was able to exit the
bus through the broken front entrance door to rescue him. Other motorists had stopped to observe
the collision and many assisted her in "corralling" the student so that Mrs. Collins was able to
return him to the bus.

As Mrs. Collins approached the bus, she noticed a smell of fuel. She reentered the bus and gave
the command for her students to exit using the right rear emergency exit. Mrs. Collins directed
the students to a large dirt area approximately 200 feet away from the collision scene. The dirt
area was surrounded by large Oleander bushes that acted as a barrier from the collision scene.

By that time, transportation staff members arrived at the scene to help with student management.
Mrs. Collins continued to assess for injuries, and a passenger list was created. CHP officers and
emergency personnel then arrived at the scene in addition to parents attempting to retrieve their
children. Mrs. Collins had parents show identification and sign the passenger list next to each
child's name. Every parent and child that was picked up at the scene approached Mrs. Collins and thanked her for keeping their children safe; many shared a hug or handshake with her as well. The remaining students were released by CHP and boarded a relief bus. Mrs. Collins also boarded the relief bus and accompanied the relief driver to ensure every student arrived home safely.

Later, the transportation department received a call from the grandparents of the child who lives
at the stop where the collision took place. They commented on the alertness of the driver and her
attentiveness in daily reminding the students to remain seated until the front entrance door opens.

Thanks to this training, and despite the fact that the bus was stopped to unload students, Mrs.
Collins had not opened the door and all students were still seated when the SUV struck the bus.
The grandparents relayed that if it were not for Mrs. Collins' diligence, their granddaughter
would have been killed in the collision.

The driver of the SUV was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, and
was transported to a local hospital due to injuries received. A passenger in the SUV was also
injured but refused medical treatment.

Mrs. Collins was recognized publicly and received an award from the Gilroy Unified School
District Governing Board on May 17, 2018 for her actions that day.

It is with great honor, Gilroy Unified School District is nominating Mrs. Maria Del Carmen
Collins to be considered and nominated as the School Bus Driver of the year for her actions
taken on May 3, 2018 to ensure her students safety in addition to the compassion and
unwavering commitment to the students she transports daily," Tice wrote.