Pregnant driver saved students minutes before the school bus burst into flames: 'Mommy instincts'

The kindness of strangers often makes our day and gives us a positive outlook toward life. However, in rare circumstances, these acts of kindness can also be life-saving. In a heroic act of bravery, a quick-thinking bus driver became a guardian angel as she sprang into action. He ensured the safety of all passengers on board, just moments before the bus erupted into a raging flame.

The incident occurred around 8 am on May 31 at the 1800 block of West Highland Avenue, reports PEOPLE. Imunek Williams was driving her bus on her usual route in Milwaukee when she noticed that something was different on the bus. She then saw smoke and noticed that something was burning. After which, she pulled over the bus and asked everyone to immediately exit.

"My mommy instincts kicked in really fast," Williams, who is eight months pregnant, told WTMJ-TV. Smoke made it difficult for Williams to communicate her message to everyone. "I could barely get what I was trying to say out because the smoke was hitting me in the face in my eyes," she said.

The kids were of all ages, from kindergarten kids to ones in high school and she asked them to stand in a line near the gate and she "made sure everyone was off" the bus, according to WISN-TV. "I was the last person off," said Williams. "Once I get off, I turned around and I just saw flames."

Williams was taken to a local hospital as a precautionary measure. Milwaukee police confirmed that no one was inside the bus when it busted completely. "It just feels good that I was able to get them off and no one was hurt," she said.

"That's just my biggest concern because if it was my kid on the bus, I would want the bus driver to do the exact same thing. I actually picked them up this morning, and they actually weren't expecting to see me," Williams shared. "They were like, 'Oh, you're back? You didn't get burned up?' I said, 'No, I'm still here.'"

In another similar story about saving lives, on May 23, 2023, the city of Fort Worth, Texas and firefighters honored Jaziyah Parker. She is 12 years old, yet she quickly noticed that her family was falling ill and called 911. She realized something was not right when her mother and brother passed out.

"Something wrong with my mama. Can you hurry up and come?" Jaziyah said to the fire department in a call. They have also released a recording of it. In a statement, the fire department said to ABC that if Jaziyah had not called them, her family would not be alive today, reported Good Morning America.

"At first, they were acting normal and when I came back to my room, they started screaming and throwing up and stuff and they started to pass out," Jaziyah said. Carbon monoxide can be dangerous as one cannot taste or see it. As for Jaziyah's family, the firefighters revealed the family had left their car open in the garage, which led to poisoning.

Her mom and sisters sat in the first row as she received the honor from Fort Worth City Council Member Chris Nettles and Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis, as reported by NBCDFW. "We're here celebrating life today and the reason we're celebrating life today is because of a 12-year-old," said Davis, who gave Jaziyah a plaque for her steady mind and quick thinking in a life-threatening situation.