Year 9 student steers runaway school bus away from petrol station

Shocking CCTV* footage has revealed the moment a young girl saved her classmates by taking control of a runaway school bus.

Izzy Miller, 14, was forced to take the wheel of the massive vehicle last Wednesday after it began to roll towards a busy petrol station in Casino, NSW.

The bus, which had been parked on the corner of Frederick St and Queensland Rd, had 20 students on-board at the time.

Speaking to the ABC*, which obtained* the security camera footage, Izzy said she leapt into action after she realised the bus was moving with no one in the driver’s seat.

“I looked over to talk to my friend, turned back over for like two seconds, and the bus started moving,” she said.

“And there was no one at the steering wheel.

“It was heading near the petrol tank and no one was doing anything, so I jumped up, got into action and steered it away.”

The year 9 student tested the pedals until she found the brake and veered* the bus away from the petrol station. The mini mart’s owner*, Erin Witton, told the ABC that the quick-thinking 14-year-old prevented a possible disaster.

“I had a guy pumping gas* at the time,” she said.

“If that bus had hit the bowser*, worse case it would have blown.”

A police investigation* into the incident has begun.

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GLOSSARY

• CCTV: Closed-Circuit Television camera used for surveillance
• ABC: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
• obtained: to gain possession
• veered: a sudden change in direction or course
• mini mart’s owner: the person who owns the small convenience store
• pumping gas: filling up a vehicle with fuel
• hit the bowser: collide with the structure that dispenses fuel
• police investigation: a process where the police look into the incident to gather information

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QUICK QUIZ

1. Who is Izzy Miller, and what courageous action did she take to prevent a potential disaster involving her classmates?
2. Describe the situation that prompted Izzy to take control of the school bus. Why was her quick thinking crucial in this instance?
3. What potential danger did the bus pose when it started moving towards the busy petrol station, and how did Izzy avert this danger?
4. How did the mini mart’s owner, Erin Witton, emphasise the significance of Izzy’s actions in preventing a disaster?
5. What is the current status of the incident, as mentioned in the story, and what steps are being taken by the authorities?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Write an amazing story
"No one was doing anything, so I jumped up."

Write a story that starts with this sentence. Use lots of details and words that make your story interesting, exciting and suspenseful for your readers.

Time: allow at least 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English

2. Extension
Izzy Miller for Young Australian of the Year!
Create a poster or write a convincing letter that would convince the Australia Day Committee that Izzy would be a perfect choice. Think about the qualities that make her a great role model and the reasons why she could inspire young people to help you to make your work as convincing as possible.

Time: allow at least 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Health and Physical Education, Personal and Social Capability

VCOP ACTIVITY
Summarise the article
A summary can be a really good way to grab the main idea plus some key points in the article as a highlight. Think of the summary like a little advertisement or extract you could use to encourage people to read the article in detail. You want to give them an overview of the article that includes the main idea (being able to tell the audience what the article is about in one sentence), plus a few of the key points of the information.

Remember to re-read your summary to check that it is clear, concise and makes sense to the audience who haven’t read the article yet. You need to make language choices that allow you to explain the information in only a few sentences.