A New York teenager is being called incredibly lucky after a runaway pickup truck came barreling toward him and smashed into his school bus just seconds before he climbed aboard.
The terrifying close call happened around 7:15 a.m. on April 7 in Madison, New York, as 17-year-old Jeremiah Rutkowski walked outside his home to catch the school bus.
Instead of a normal school morning, Jeremiah suddenly found himself staring at a pickup truck speeding directly toward the stopped bus.
“I just figured if that thing’s not going to stop, it’s either going to hit the bus and something’s coming flying at me — or the entire truck is coming flying at me,” the teen recalled.
Realizing disaster was about to strike, Jeremiah quickly jumped backward moments before the truck slammed into the rear of the bus.
The violent impact shoved the bus forward down the road as chaos erupted in front of the family’s home.
Jeremiah immediately ran back toward the porch where his father, Matt Rutkowski, rushed outside after hearing the crash.
Before even fully seeing the damage, the emotional father wrapped his son in a hug.
“My first priority was to make sure my son was safe and good,” Matt said. “Opening that door, I wasn’t sure what would happen.”
Once he realized the children on the bus were evacuating and the driver appeared conscious, Matt ran back inside to call 911.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah said he was initially frozen in shock.
“I was sort of just paralyzed with shock,” he admitted.
But the teen quickly snapped into action when students began stepping off the damaged bus. Jeremiah, who works as a counselor at Camp Lookout, said his instincts immediately kicked in.
“My counselor brain just sort of kicked in,” he explained. “I was fully focused on how everybody felt about the situation.”
Authorities said 23 students were onboard the school bus at the time of the crash. Investigators believe 35-year-old Joshua Smith caused the collision after following the bus too closely while distracted by his cellphone.
State police said Smith suffered minor injuries and was issued several traffic tickets.
In total, four children and two adults were transported to hospitals with minor injuries, including the bus driver, two children riding in the pickup truck, and two students from the bus.
For Jeremiah’s father, the terrifying moment served as a reminder of how quickly everything can change.
“Things like this make you appreciate what you have,” Matt said, “and how at any moment things can change.”