Truck Driver Uses His Final Moments To Help Rescue Kids Following School Bus Crash
August 19, 2021

Following a school bus crash, a heroic truck driver named Johnathon Grayer used the last moments of his life to save as many kids as he could.
When a school bus stopped to unload students in rural southeast Georgia, a box truck rear-ended the bus.
RELATED: Family Grieves After 11-Year-Old Tries Shielding Twins In Tragic Bus Accident
At least ten students and the bus driver were on the school bus during the crash. And the collision seriously injured the 25-year-old truck driver, Johnathon Grayer.
"The impact sent the back of the box truck into the air, leaving metal scattered across the highway," Cpl. Shane Copeland recalled.
However, that didn't stop Johnathon from doing all he could to help the others.
Injured Bus Driver Reacts To School Bus Crash
Johnathon immediately jumped out of his box truck and raced onto the mangled bus. Though gravely hurt himself, the heroic truck driver performed some incredible feats before succumbing to his injuries.
For example, Johnathon freed children who were pinned under some of the seats by using all of his might to lift the bus seats off of the kids. He calmed one frightened child by assuring him everything would be ok and promising to take him out for ice cream later.
RELATED: Baby Flew Out of The Back of A Speeding Car & A Truck Driver Came to Her Rescue
Eventually, injuries from the school bus crash got the best of Johnathon. The same bus surveillance camera that captured the truck driver's heroic feats also showed him collapse.
"He must've been running on adrenaline, and his body gave out," Cpl. Shane Copeland said. "He was pretty much done by that point."
But by then, his mission was complete. He'd succeeded in getting the kids off the bus and to safety.
"After it happened, he collapsed and he was just done," Johnathon's father, Isaiah Grayer, said, "like God saying, ‘You did what I wanted you to do.'"
Heroic Final Act Following School Bus Crash
We have no doubt the brave truck driver was given divine strength from above. And his parents say their son's kind heart and desire to help the kids is what spurred him on after the school bus crash.
Tragically, Johnathon Grayer died later at the hospital. But there's comfort in knowing his final act was to help others.
Six other children and the bus driver were injured, but thankfully the damage was non-life-threatening.
"God had his hand on Bacon County," said EMS Compliance Officer Tyler Beach.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: School Bus Driver Saves The Day When Students Are Threatened
Prayers for all of those recovering from the school bus crash and for the grieving family of Johnathon Grayer.
WATCH: Truck Driver Rushes To Save Kids Before Dying
LISTEN: FedEx Driver Returns to Heartbroken Stranger's Door to Pray with Her
h/t: People
Featured Image: WSAV3/News 4 JAX
Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Choose Patience Even When We Want to Complain - Your Daily Prayer - May 15
In a season of chronic pain and unanswered prayers, we can find true peace and joy. These do not come from immediate solutions but from placing deeper hope and trust in Jesus, whose presence brings patience, purpose, and praise even in the waiting.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Choose Patience Even When We Want to Complain - Your Daily Prayer - May 15
In a season of chronic pain and unanswered prayers, we can find true peace and joy. These do not come from immediate solutions but from placing deeper hope and trust in Jesus, whose presence brings patience, purpose, and praise even in the waiting.
Past Stories
- California High School Discovers They Have 14 Sets of Twins in Their Graduating Class
- Paralyzed Pup Tyrion Finds New Life With a Doggie Wheelchair
- Autistic 8-Year-Old Boy Goes Missing, Found by Water Thanks to Quick Response
- Two Nurses Come to the Rescue of a Teen Girl in the Process of Being Kidnapped
- She Hired a Private Detective and Found the Sisters She Never Knew She Had
- Brave Man Jumps Into Water to Save Woman After She Was Attacked By Bull Shark
- She Was Going to Miss Prom After Breaking Her Back at a Trampoline Park, the Hospital Had Other Plans
- Mom Finds Hope After Tragedy, Hears Her Daughter’s Heartbeat in a Child Who Got a Second Chance
- 90-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Has Saved Over 10,000 Animals, and She’s Still Not Slowing Down
- First Responders Rescue 9-Month-Old From House Fire By Going Through Window
- Playful Black Bear Climbs Playground and Rides the Slide, Just Like a Kid
- Singer Michael Bolton Opens Up About His Aggressive Brain Cancer Diagnosis
- Brave 5-Year-Old Climbs 35 Feet Up a Tree, Firefighters Rush to the Rescue
- Woman Finds Her Father After Almost 28 Years — And Learns the Truth About Why He Left
- Woman Saves Her Late Son’s Best Friend’s Mom With a Life-Changing Donation
- An Indie Bookstore Asked for Help, What Happened Next Will Warm Your Heart
- From Teen Sweethearts to 80 Years of Marriage: ‘God Was So Good to Give Him to Me’
- WWII Veteran Celebrates His 101st Birthday and 75 Years of Marriage to His Loving Wife
- 88-Year-Old Korean War Veteran and Great-Grandfather Graduates From College
- One Year After Losing Boys in a Fire, Parents Find Light in the Form of a Beautiful Blessing
- They Dress Up As Disney Princesses to Bring Joy and Hope to Sick Children, and it's Amazing
- This Couple Parents Triplets and Foster Sons from Wheelchairs, and It’ll Leave You Inspired
- Two-Year-Old is Found By Rancher's Dog After Walking 7 Miles From Home
- Couple Reunites 15-Year-Old Blind Dog With Owners After Finding Her in the Wilderness
- He Saved Her Life in a Pool Accident Five Years Ago, Now They Are Engaged
- Actress Chrissy Metz Left Hollywood For Nashville and She Couldn't Be Happier
- Stranger Helps 81-Year-Old Waitress Who Couldn't Afford to Retire, Now Her Prayers Have Been Answered
- 49-Year-Old Melanie Barratt Becomes First Blind Woman to Swim the English Channel
- 9-Year-Old Boy Remembered By Teacher and Community After Being Swept Away By Flood Waters
- 16-Year-Old Heard a Family's Cries and Saved Them From a House Fire
- Family Grows From 4 to 8 Overnight After Welcoming Identical Quadruplet Daughters
- Little Girl With Autism Reminds Others of Snow White and Her Connection to Animals
- Candace Cameron Bure Shares Fantastic News That Former Co-star, Dave Coulier, is Cancer-Free
- Soldier is Reunited With the Dog She Served With While Deployed
- Her Grandfather Kept a Log of Every Memory He Had With Her Grandmother, and It's Precious
- This 30-Year-Old Feline Might Just Be the World's Oldest Cat
- Special Messages About Love From Kindergarten Class Displayed at Teacher's Wedding
- A Sneaky Brown Tree Snake Slithers Into An Oven in Australia, and Luckily Doesn't Get Cooked
- Florida Man Meets the Son Who Had Been Searching For Him For Almost 40 Years
- Four-Year-Old Sends Out a Message in a Bottle, Receives Reply Less Than Two Weeks Later
- Delivery Driver Saves Woman's Life After Double Checking When Something Didn't Seem Right
- Woman in Heels Stops Robbery at Convenience Store With Her Impressive Martial Arts Skills
- Man That Survived More Than 90 Days at Sea Thought About His Mother Every Single Day
- Quick Thinking 9-Year-Old Saves Choking Friend During Snack Time Emergency
- Video Store Owner Creates 'Christina's Corner' For a Long-Time Customer
- Texas Man Gets Married in the Hospital After Kidney Transplant
- A Bride to Be and Her Best Friend Have Plane to Themselves and Enjoy Every Minute of it
- Dogs Come to School to Help Comfort Young Students Affected by the Eaton Fire
- Toddler Braves the Dark to Save His Great-Grandma
- All Four of These Best Friends Now Live On the Same Street and It's Amazing
Top Artists
Top Music Videos

Danny Gokey Danny Gokey's Powerful 'Open Up The Gates' Lyric Video

Oak Ridge Boys 'Jesus Is Coming Soon' The Oak Ridge Boys

Oak Ridge Boys 'Because He Lives' Classic Performance From The Oak Ridge Boys

Alabama Live Performance of 'Because He Lives' by Alabama

Colton Dixon 'The Other Side' - Colton Dixon Song For Lost Loved Ones
Blog
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.