CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A driver crashed an empty school bus into a pole after suffering a medical emergency and later died, New Hampshire authorities said.
The driver, Gary Jenkins, had dropped students off at Rundlett Middle School in Concord on Thursday morning. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Frank Bass, interim superintendent of the Concord School District, said the cause of death for Jenkins, 68, appeared to be a heart attack. No students were on the bus and no other vehicles were involved.
“Mr. Jenkins was so much more than just a ‘bus driver,’ Bass said in message Friday to parents, “he was also a friend, a big brother, a parent, and most of all, a warm, smiling man who greeted students every day to and from the schools he served on his route.”
Bass said Concord police provided their therapy dog, Liberty, on Friday morning’s bus run; school counselors were put on alert to help children; and food baskets and school-sponsored breakfasts were being provided to the family. Others responded with flowers and donations.
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