Brainerd Students Hailed as Heroes for Quick Thinking During Bus Emergency

BRAINERD, Minn. – Two elementary school students are being praised for their quick thinking and courage after their bus driver experienced a medical emergency on Tuesday.

What began as an ordinary morning quickly turned into a tense situation for students on Bus 64. Fourth-grader Lucy Marshall was the first to notice something was wrong with their driver, Peter Modenmeier, when she boarded the bus.

“I noticed that his ear was red, and it looked like dried blood,” Lucy recalled.

Fellow student Kabe Storey grew increasingly concerned when the bus skipped a scheduled stop near the high school.

“I was like, ‘Peter, you missed the stop,’ and then he shook his head,” Lucy said. Moments later, Modenmeier pulled over, opened the door, and told the students they were at someone's stop—despite being nowhere near a designated drop-off.

Realizing the urgency of the situation, Lucy quickly grabbed the bus radio and called for help.

“Bus 64 needs help,” she relayed over the radio, recognizing that Modenmeier was not acting normally.

Shortly after, the driver managed to open the bus doors and instructed the students to exit before he drove away, leaving 35 children stranded on the roadside.

In the midst of the confusion, Kabe stepped up to reassure his classmates.

“Everybody was crying, and I just kept saying, ‘It will be OK, it will be OK,’ to help calm them down,” he said.

Authorities arrived soon after and located both the bus and Modenmeier.

“He was able to say his name, but after that, it was nothing,” Crow Wing County Sheriff Eric Klang said. “He was in a very serious state, so prayers out to him.”

Riverside Elementary Principal Jill Bjorge commended Lucy and Kabe for their leadership in a moment of crisis.

“I’m unbelievably proud,” Bjorge said. “I’m thankful we have a leadership program here at Riverside, and Lucy participates in many of those activities because she’s just a natural-born leader. To see her take charge, with Kabe providing support, was incredible.”

Modenmeier is currently receiving treatment at a local hospital.