After Tragic Bus Crash, Church Community Steps Up for Injured Student in a Big Way

Tragedy hit my own Tennessee community on March 27, 2026, when a middle school bus on a field trip got into an accident. The bus was headed from Clarksville, TN, to Jackson, TN, for a Grand Prix event through the STEM program. Heartbreakingly, two students died, and over 20 other students went to the hospital, as well as four teachers and the bus driver. But in the midst of the horrific accident, a church stepped in to help the community, and one of the 8th graders who was injured in the crash.

Bryson Raigan, a student at Kenwood Middle School in Clarksville, was one of the students on the bus that day. He was severely injured and will need to be in a wheelchair for a while while he heals. 

He Would Need a Ramp At His Home After the Accident

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The 14-year-old would need a ramp at his home. That’s when Chris Lanier, who is a member of the school district, received a call from the superintendent about the need for the ramp. “We are all trying to put the pieces together and trying to help anyone we can,” Chris shares.

Chris contacted David Schmittou. David runs a ramp ministry at the Church of Christ at Trenton Crossing in Clarksville. He has operated this ministry for over 15 years now.

Even though there are people ahead of Bryson on the waiting list, they moved the teenager to the top of the list. “His was automatically put to the top because that is the only way he can get in and out of his house,” David shares

It Was a God Wink

There was only a few days' notice, but David was able to find a ramp at someone’s home who no longer needed it. And it fit Bryson’s home. “I call it a God wink. His hand was in it for sure from the get-go,” he says about how everything worked out.

And a God wink it certainly was. The ramp was able to be completed before Bryson got home from the hospital.

“I said ‘Hey, there is a new thing that is going to be at your house when you get home.’ And they said ‘What is it?’ And I said ‘Well, your ramp is done.’ And they said, ‘We are actually 26 minutes out from the house, we are in the ambulance riding back from Memphis.’ It was just perfect timing,” Chris shares. 

To See the Love of the Church in Action

It is so heartwarming to see the love of this church and its ministry reach out after the bus tragedy.

Tragedies such as this are so difficult to wrap our minds around. We might never truly understand why they have to happen in our world

Mr. Rodgers once said, "When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, 'Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping'".

The Church Helped the Community After the Bus Crash

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This is just one example of helpers stepping in during a time of tragedy in a community and making things a little better for those who experienced it. It is a good example of showing the love of Jesus in the most tangible of ways.

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." - Hebrews 13:16

WATCH: A Church Helps Out a Community After a Bus Crash

LISTEN: 6 Times Strangers Became a 'Good Samaritan' and Saved a Life | Twins Have Daughters On the Very Same Day, 'The Greatest Thing'

h/t: WSMV

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WSMV 4 Nashville

Julie Provost is a GodUpdates staff writer and editor. She lives in Tennessee with her husband, three boys, and little dog Max. She loves to read, go to the movies, and enjoy time with family and friends.