OLA, Ark. — An Arkansas log truck driver ditched his fully-loaded rig recently to avoid slamming into the back of a school bus carrying around 45 kids on their way to class.
According to a report from FOX 16 news in Little Rock, Arkansas, on the morning of April 14, Paul Wiggins was driving along Highway 7 in the rural community of Ola when thick fog prevented him from seeing a school bus that had stopped on the roadway. The bus had its flashing red lights on, and Wiggins said he was traveling slow already due to the fog.
But he didn’t see the bus in time. He said if he hadn’t ditched his truck, it would have crashed into the bus.
“All at once you see these little red lights in front of you and you know you can’t stop,” Wiggins told FOX 16.
Wiggins said he never thought twice about avoiding the collision, adding that he “couldn’t live with myself if I had killed some kids or other people.”
Wiggins was trapped inside his rig, which was lying on its driver’s side, for about an hour before he was rescued.
The first thing he did when he got out was ask about the kids.
“I asked them if I missed the bus, and they said, ‘Yeah, you missed it,’ and that was a big, big relief,” said Wiggins, who is suffering from bruises on his arms and legs after the wreck.
Two Rivers School District bus driver Kenneth Hill thanked Wiggins for his bravery.
“Some of my kids looked at me and said, ‘Mr. Kenneth, that man’s a hero, he saved our life,’ and I said, ‘He sure did,’” Hill said.
A Go Fund Me page has been created to help Wiggins with his daily expenses, a down payment on a replacement semi-tractor to pull his log trailer, or possibly even a new truck if enough funds are raised.
To assist Wiggins, click this link: https://gofund.me/96e17b95
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
