Two Sisters Save 22 Lives when a School Bus Goes Up in Flames

Last week, two sisters were on their way home from buying a car when they saved the lives of 22 people in a moving school bus burning on the highway.

Bettye Windom, 24, and Beth Insley, 29, saw dark smoke rising from the back of the bus as they made their way from a car dealership in their hometown of Georgetown, Mississippi last Wednesday. They knew they had to do something to stop the vehicle from moving.

After honking their horn, turning on the flashers, and waving their arms out the window to no avail, the courageous duo pulled their brand new sedan in front of the bus, threw on the brakes, and forced the driver to stop.

From there, the sisters got out of the car, and helped to rescue the kids and their chaperones, along with the driver, before the entire bus went up in flames.

"We knew we had to stop the bus, and the driver didn't see us," Windom tells the Good News blog. "It took three minutes after we got everyone out for the bus to burn down."

Windom, a postal worker and volunteer firefighter, says she didn't think twice about throwing her new purchase in front of the bus.

"I would much rather save the kids than the vehicle," she comments. "A life means a lot more."

While the cause of the fire has not yet been determined, there is no doubt that Windom and Insley are heroes. Despite the dramatic ending, only one child was injured in the rescue, and that was only a minor bruise on the arm.

In addition to halting and evacuating the bus, Insley also directed traffic on the highway around the emergency scene.

"I was scared," she recalls. "After they sprayed the fire extinguishers, the flames came back with a vengeance. I was waiting for it to explode, and we were trying to get everyone into the woods."

Now that everyone is safe, Insley says the story has been getting a lot of attention on Facebook, though she doesn't feel it's necessary.

"People are saying we're heroes, but that's silly," she remarks.

Windom adds, "I'm just thankful everyone was okay."

More of the Good News:
This Amazing Teacher Saved His Student's Life By Donating a Kidney
Teen Hero Saves 94-Year-Old Woman (and Her Dog) From a Fire
Ellen Surprises a Two-Time Lifesaver