Bus Crash Rescuers Became ‘Family’

As we have settled into routine after what is gratefully known to us now as the “it’s-a-miracle bus crash,” I have realized that in all of the television and press coverage, very little was said about the people behind the scenes.

We thank God for preserving the lives of our counselors and children and especially thank him for what unfolded after the bus tumbled down the hill.

The city of Palm Desert comes out at the top of my list and is truly the unsung “hero.” We were observing, firsthand, a team of people dedicated to service with a heart of compassion. They had nothing to gain from their efforts, yet treated us as though we were family. City Manager Bruce Altman called his team together, and the rest was done like clockwork.

As I watched these many dedicated men and women working with extended teams across the basin, I realized that without their help, our children would have still been on the mountain or scattered across the desert in unknown hospitals, and left to fend for themselves with the emotional trauma still ahead of them.

DANETTE FERRO, Laguna Niguel