Bus driver honored for heroism

When bus driver Dena Pitre had a bus full of students and saw a man in a car stopped in front of her pull out a gun and begin firing at a nearby house, her instincts kicked in. “When I saw the situation, I got down, secured the bus and turned around and told the kids to get down all the way on the floor,” she said.

In November, the Palo Alto Unified School District recognized Pitre for her ability to stay calm and keep the students she was driving that day in April out of harm. She had also received an award her courage from the California Highway Patrol.

“There’s no video that they can show you that tells you what to do when something like this happens,” Pitre, a member of Palo Alto Chapter 301 said. “You just have to use your instinct because there is nothing else you can do except secure the bus. One of those bullets could have hit the students.”

Related:
Bus Driver Recognized for Heroism (Palo Alto Weekly 11/28/08)