NEWBURY, N.H. – Bus driver Jesse Aiken had a split second to decide: slam on the brakes or hit the accelerator.
Aiken, driving a school bus with 14 children and three adults from Claremont on Wednesday afternoon chose the latter.
Aiken was returning from Goffstown, N.H., with children enrolled in Claremont’s Red and Blue Project, a leadership program for incoming sixth graders run by the district’s School Resource Officer, Crystal Simonds, a police officer.
Aiken said in a phone interview Thursday that he was driving at the speed limit, around 50 miles per hour on Route 103 near Todd Lake. He was looking a little left when something on the right caught his eye.
“I saw this large pine tree moving,” Aiken recalled. “I thought, wow, I can’t believe the wind is blowing that bad up there.”
Strong winds, he said, should be affecting the bus a little but that was not happening and the other trees were not moving. Aiken believes he had about 800 feet to make a decision and at 50 miles per hour the bus would cover that distance in seconds.
“I figured it would swing back in a second, but it wasn’t,” Aiken said. “I am thinking, this thing is coming down. My first reaction was to hit the brakes then I’m thinking, I can’t stop in time. As I got closer and closer, I stomped on the (gas) pedal, hoping I could get past the tree.”
The pine tree, which Aiken estimated was more than 100 feet tall with a maximum diameter of close to two feet, crashed down on the bus roof, causing significant damage but no serious injuries to anyone, the school district said in a news release.
“When it hit the back of the bus, the whole front lifted off the ground,” Aiken said. “It felt like I ran over a big part of the tree. I did the best I could to slow down the bus without jamming on the brakes. It was such a freak thing.”
The tree bounced off the bus and when Aiken got out he noticed a lot of the pine needles and the bus windshield was splintered but did not break completely.
“That tree was huge.”
Aiken praised Simonds and the two counselors and teacher’s aide on the bus, Paige Simonds and Vicky Bonneau, for acting quickly.
“With Crystal being there, it was a blessing with her knowledge of everything,” Aiken said. “She called 911 and got a hold of the parents right away.”
Newbury volunteer rescue personnel arrived within minutes. “They did a phenomenal job,” Aiken said. “We all came together. I am glad it was not just me (on the bus).”
Aiken also said he was “amazed” at how the children, ages 10 to 11, reacted.
“Every one of them handled it very well,” he said. “They were a little emotional but they all stayed in their seats.”
Many parents arrived at the scene and were reunited with their children, the news release said. A second bus was dispatched to transport the remaining children, who could not be picked up by their parents, back to Claremont.
Superintendent Tim Broadrick commended Aiken for his “decisive and quick actions” and Simonds and Claremont Police Chief Brent Wilmot for their “calm response and leadership.”
Wilmot said Friday he does not believe anyone was transported by ambulance and the injuries were minor from being bounced around a bit by the impact.
Aiken, who has been driving a bus part-time for 11 years and also works on farm and construction equipment restoring antique tractors, said he believes his decision to try to get past the tree had a better outcome than if he had hit the brakes.
“If hit the brakes the bus would have gone over the tree,” Aiken said. “I think it would have pushed the engine up into the bus and the kids would have been hurt. You want to make sure everyone is safe.”
Attempts to reach Broadrick Friday morning regarding any injuries was not successful.
