A Lake County, Florida, school bus driver is being commended for her quick thinking and heroism after using her bus to protect a hit-and-run victim during an encounter on October 23. Stacey Hatcher told WKMG News 6 that she was driving Eustis High School band members home from a field trip when she noticed an injured Abigail Stevens laying on the road.
Stevens was discovered near the intersection of Lakeview Avenue and Morin Drive. The bus driver stated that, while she does not generally travel the Lakeview route, something told her to do so on the night of the hit-and-run.
“I thought it was a prank for Halloween you know that someone would do to put someone in the road to kind of scare someone which it did scare me,” said Hatcher. “So when I saw her I immediately put my bus in park and I brightened my lights and what made me know it was a real body — I saw blood running alongside the road where she was laying and I immediately called 911.”
Hatcher has since described her week as upsetting, but she is “coping with it” day by day. “I’ll improve.” “I pray for her every day, and I know God will see her through because he wouldn’t have led me there if he wasn’t,” she added.
Hatcher was also praised as a “hero” by Eustis Police Chief Craig Capri, who said he “should be recognized as that.” “She was definitely at the right place at the right time, and she saved human life that day,” Capri was quoted as saying.
Capri stated that they have yet to get a suspect description, but they have identified a suspicious vehicle, according to WKMG News 6.Police have since released images of the vehicle in question.
“Hopefully somebody will come through, somebody saw something, somebody will know something,” Capri said. “We beg them to come forward and help us out.”
Stevens’ sister also told the news outlet that the victim was hospitalized with 20 broken bones.