A Cedar Rapids Fifth Grader Saw Her Bus Driver Wheezing and Struggling to Breathe, So She Called Her Dad, Who Boarded the Bus and Dialed 911

“She was wheezing. She was struggling to breathe, and obviously she needed help.” That is how Bella Scott, a fifth grader at Viola Gibson Elementary School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, describes the moment she realized her school bus driver was in trouble.

Bella picked up her phone and called her dad, Nick Scott, who was nearby. He went to the bus, saw the driver struggling and called 911, according to a report shared by WSMV. The driver, Christine Houston, now calls Bella her hero.

A Driver Who Tried to Get Everyone Home

The emergency began on what should have been a routine ride home from school. Houston said a strong cologne scent on the bus set off a coughing fit, and her breathing got worse from there, KGAN reported in a story distributed by CNN Newsource.

She kept driving. Houston told the station that her condition grew progressively worse and that she made it through two or three more stops before she had to pull over. She said her goal was to get the children home.

About 20 children were still on board. The whole episode was captured on the bus camera.

Three Phone Calls to Dad

Bella noticed what was happening right away. She heard the wheezing, saw her driver fighting for air and decided to call home.

Her father admitted that at first he thought she was just asking for more phone time. By her third call, he said, he could hear real fear in her voice and knew something was wrong. He told the station he decided on the spot that they were calling 911, and he could see the relief on his daughter’s face.

Once he boarded the bus, Nick Scott did more than make the emergency call. He helped the students reach their families and kept them calm while they waited. Emergency responders arrived and Houston received care.

Cedar Rapids Schools later recognized Bella for her quick thinking.

Calling a Trusted Adult

Houston has been clear about why Bella’s choice mattered. She told KGAN that the fifth grader did exactly what bus safety training teaches children to do: reach a trusted adult. “She is forever my hero,” Houston said, adding that not all heroes wear a cape.

That lesson lines up with the advice pediatric experts give families. KidsHealth from Nemours recommends that children learn when an emergency calls for 911, including when someone is not breathing well or is choking. Kids should make sure they are safe first, try to stay as calm as they can and be ready to answer three questions: what happened, where they are and who needs help.

The guide also suggests a few practical habits at home. Children should say “nine-one-one” rather than “nine-eleven” so they can find the right buttons under stress. They should memorize their street address and a parent’s phone number, and families should talk about why prank calls can delay help for someone who really needs it.

KidsHealth also reminds parents that children should know it is fine to trust a 911 operator, even though they are taught not to share personal details with strangers. Dispatchers may walk a caller through first aid until help arrives. At home, the guide suggests keeping emergency numbers near each phone, making sure the house number can be seen from the street and showing kids and babysitters where the first-aid kit is kept.

Bella’s call went to her dad rather than straight to 911, and in her case that worked because he was close by and acted fast. For younger children, talking through both options ahead of time, when to grab a nearby grown-up and when to dial for help directly, can make a frightening moment feel less confusing.

Not the First Student to Step Up

Children on school buses have been the first to spot a driver in distress before. In 2015, a 9-year-old in Racine, Wisconsin, named Jayden Harameo noticed his driver coughing during an asthma attack, got the bus pulled over and helped paramedics find it, WHDH reported. The driver later said he saved her life.

In 2021, three 11-year-olds from Cocopah Middle School in Arizona ran to help when their morning bus driver pulled over, struggling to breathe and close to losing consciousness, and called 911, according to School Transportation News. Before help came, the driver asked one of the boys, John Ward, to call her mother and tell her she loved her, in case she did not make it. Paramedics arrived within minutes and took her to the hospital.

The pattern is the same each time. A child notices that something is wrong, does not assume someone else will handle it, and gets help on the way. Parent Diaries has followed other young helpers too, including 7-year-old Joe Fennel, who called 911 when his mom had a seizure, and an 11-year-old in West Jordan, Utah, who got her dad home to start CPR.

For the Scott family in Cedar Rapids, the ride home ended with a driver who got the care she needed, students who were able to reach their families and a fifth grader with a new title from the woman behind the wheel.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: QUOI Media Group, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons