This past year and a half has challenged one Springfield family in ways they never imagined.
In August 2023, the driver of a mini van clipped a Northwestern Schools school bus on Ohio 41. A sixth grader died and a dozen other students were injured.
"I'm just doing what I can to help the district and get the kids to and from school safely."
Mark Sanders said his family has been deeply affected by the accident. In an effort to help his daughter heal from the trauma, this father left retirement to begin a new career as a bus driver with the district.
Sanders is passionate about NASCAR racing. Several times a year the Springfield native flies to Florida to meet his team. He's part of the pit crew for Beard Oil Motorsports.
Sanders is also passionate about the youth in his Clark County community, where he focuses on a different kind of driving.
"I'm just doing what I can to help the district and get the kids to and from school safely," he said.
Tragedy at school year start
His two youngest children attend Northwestern Local Schools. Ella Grace is a seventh grader and Jamison Edward is in first grade.
Last school year, the start of classes was difficult for them and many families in the district.
“I was actually out feeding the animals and was doing some work around the farm here. And, got a text and it was from my daughter who was 11 at the time, and it was a picture of a school bus on its top. And, it kind of perplexed me," Sanders recalled. "Within seconds, another text came and it said, 'Dad, there's been an accident. It's not us. I'm okay, I love you.' And probably within 3 to 5 minutes the sirens went off in the area.”
"... and a lot of kids in school were suffering the same thing, questioning why do bad things happen to good people."
It was August 22, 2023, the first day of school. The crash was on State Route 41.
Minutes earlier, Hermanio Joseph crossed the center line of the two-lane road in his 2010 Honda Odyssey minivan, striking a Northwestern school bus. The bus flipped over, 11-year-old Aiden Clark was thrown out and died. Dozens of other students were injured. Joseph is now serving a nine to 13.5-year prison sentence for involuntary manslaughter and vehicular homicide.
Sanders said a deep sadness overcame his daughter, Ella Grace.
“Aiden was her classmate and she knew him very well. She was depressed, couldn't sleep. Had nightmares. Ella was not eating," Sanders said. "You know, as most kids, she has a phone. So they were texting, and a lot of kids in school were suffering the same thing, questioning why do bad things happen to good people."
Driving to school
Sanders and his wife, Jill, put Ella Grace into therapy and began driving the sixth grader to and from school.
“But riding in any vehicle, whether it be with her mother or me, any car that pulled up to an intersection or any car that she deemed as a danger, it caused her to flinch. And she actually went into a near panic attack," Sanders said. "So we had to be very, very kind and very methodical in our travel, we would go a different route because we knew that there was less traffic on that road."
But he says after a couple of days, Ella Grace got back on her school bus.
"She would text her mom and I and say, 'I got school, okay. It's all good.' And then that kind of faded out too. So I think that was her helping us out as well as us helping her," Sanders said.
“She told her counselor that it would make her feel better getting on a bus if I drove a bus. And the reason she gave was, even though I might not be her bus driver, she would know that those kids would be safe."
Although Sanders admits his daughter is still sometimes anxious when riding in a vehicle.
Over time, the counselor asked Ella Grace how her parents could further help.
“She told her counselor that it would make her feel better getting on a bus if I drove a bus. And the reason she gave was, even though I might not be her bus driver, she would know that those kids would be safe," Sanders said.
New career
He was retired, enjoying a slower pace on the family’s small farm. But after talking with his wife, Jill, he got behind the wheel stepped into a new career.
“They (the school district) hired me, put me in training and in May of this year I actually officially became hired. But then, through the unfortunate death of a bus driver that had been with the district for some time this year. I wound up moving from sub to having my own route,” Sanders said.
Now he transports students to and from the Clark County Career Technical Center, Global Impact Stem Academy and Northwestern.
While he’s mindful of the youngsters, he said a larger portion of his attention is focused outside of his bus, on other drivers.
“I have found driving something 50 plus feet long and weighs 22,000 pounds and holds about 65 kids, people don't pay attention to them," Sanders proclaimed. "We've actually had instances on the route where the red lights were on loading or unloading students and people drive right by."
Seeing things from this new vantage point, Sanders wants other drivers to allow more space between their vehicle and school buses.
“There should be a buffer, given that, probably the biggest thing is just we need to slow down, pay attention," Sanders said. "That's our future on two little shoes out there.”
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