Bus drivers from Florida supporting kids killed in Fulton County bus crash

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Almost a thousand miles south from Fulton County, the tragedy that left three children dead at their bus stop in October is weighing heavy on the minds of a group of bus drivers… from Florida!

When one woman read about the crash, it hit home for her, and she said she knew she had to do something to help having lost her 6-year-old granddaughter in a car accident.

Joyce Arnold is the woman behind this act of kindness. She an assistant to a bus driver in Pensacola, Fla and helps make sure students board the bus safely.

She’ll be sending cards signed by her fellow bus drivers and assistants with prayers and words of encouragement to the families affected by the tragedy in Fulton County. Arnold called ABC57 to ask for help with the plan.

“We read the story about the kids that were killed in October and I can relate to that because I lost my granddaughter. She was 6 years old and it was a car accident,” Arnold said.

When Arnold lost her granddaughter in an accident she said prayers and words of encouragement gave her strength, which is exactly what she hopes the cards will bring the families.

“I told my bus driver, I’m gonna go pick up some cards and I’m gonna see if we can get the bus drivers and assistants to sign and let’s send them to this family to try and encourage them,” Arnold said.

Arnold will be sending the signed cards to ABC57 once she finishes gathering the final signatures. Once they reach our offices in South Bend, we will be forwarding them to the families.

“It just saddened my heart and when I read that I just felt like I needed to let that mother know that there are some people that are concerned and we just want to lift her up and let her know she’s not alone in this journey,” Arnold said.

Because of the tragedy, Arnold says she’s even more cautious about student safety. In Pensacola, she said she sees people ignore bus stop arms daily.

“I mean you could see it, in the run of the day, you could see it two or three times that that occurs,” Arnold said. “Anything could happen, you know? Nothing we could say or do would replace her children but we want to let her know we were thinking about her during this time and prayers are being sent up for her.”