12-Year-Old Girl Honored for Saving Students From Train Crash

A Chicago area tween is being recognized after saving students from school bus stalled on train tracks.

This week, a 12-year-old Orland Park, Illinois girl was honored for her quick and heroic actions.  On Friday, February 4th, a Metra train hit a school bus around 2:40 PM.  Aboard that school bus was 5 students and a bus driver.  Moments before the bus was struck by the train, one of the students, Ava Gentile, quickly escorted the other children, which included her brothers, off of the stalled vehicle to safety.  Orland Fire Protection District Chief Michael Schofield had this to say in a statement published on CBS Chicago about the investigation,

The investigation we did shows the driver stopped at the tracks as required to do so, but when she started the bus to cross, the bus stalled with the front end of the bus over the tracks.

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When CBS Chicago interviewed the 6th-grade hero, she was wearing her soccer shirt.  Her soccer team, the Sting, happens to be sponsored by a payroll company in the area called PAYROC.  When the president of PAYROC saw the interview he knew that his company had to highlight the actions of this young hero.

Wednesday PAYROC awarded Ava with a $5,000 scholarship.  Full of gratitude, Ava said that this scholarship will really change her future as she plans on playing soccer in college.