Nation : Boy a Hero in School Bus Plunge

A school bus rolled into a creek today, killing the driver and critically injuring an 8-year-old, but a heroic high school sophomore helped lead 10 other students to safety through the emergency door, authorities said.

The Wellsville School District bus had run off a muddy dirt road into Walnut Creek, investigators said. They said the front end went into the water and 11 passengers escaped out the rear before the bus rolled the rest of the way in, trapping driver Dale Thomasson, 46, and Loren Newkirk Jr. The boy was pulled out by rescue workers and hospitalized in critical condition after spending more than 30 minutes underwater. Sheriff’s deputies credited teen-ager Bill Raley with leading younger children out of the bus.