Sidney Austin Memorial Fund
Donation protected
To many my father died a hero.
On Friday Dec 13, 2019, my father, Sid Austin, perished behind the wheel of the bus that he was driving in an unfortunate traffic accident with a school bus. It was a morning with dense fog and slick roads. The school bus has previously been in an accident and was parked, blocking the road, with no lights or flairs. I’ve been told by many drivers who have seen the picture of the accident that my dad sacrificed himself to save all aboard the two buses.
The bus company my father was employed with, forwarded an email they received recounting the story of a child who was in the back seat of the bus:
“I attend church with many school district personnel, and yesterday I heard a remarkable story from one of the school district members. She said the little boy who was sitting in the last seat of the bus has stated that just before hitting the school bus your driver made eye contact with him and swerved to miss impacting the bus right where he was sitting. In everyone’s mind here, Sid died as a hero. We may never know all of the circumstances, but we choose to believe exactly that. The situation could have been so much worse. The tragedy for your company and his family is no less heartbreaking, but there is a little boy in Quincy who will always believe that Sid made a last second decision that saved his life.” - Glenda Bishop CEO
Specific details notwithstanding, I find some solace, despite my loss, believing that during his last few moments of life, his thoughts and actions were focused on minimizing the risk of injury to his passengers and others on the scene even though it meant sacrificing his own life. He will be forever in our hearts and minds, and my mother and I will miss him dearly.
Donations of any amount are deeply appreciated. They will be used to cover unexpected end of life expenses.
My father was the kindest person I knew and would help anybody in need. He was happiest when others were happy and never spoke ill of another person, choosing instead to always see the best in people. He may have called himself anti-social, but anyplace he went, everyone liked my father. He never met an animal who didn't love him, and he loved them all back. He was a veteran of Vietnam where he did two tours as a helicopter pilot.
We are all hurting.
On Friday Dec 13, 2019, my father, Sid Austin, perished behind the wheel of the bus that he was driving in an unfortunate traffic accident with a school bus. It was a morning with dense fog and slick roads. The school bus has previously been in an accident and was parked, blocking the road, with no lights or flairs. I’ve been told by many drivers who have seen the picture of the accident that my dad sacrificed himself to save all aboard the two buses.
The bus company my father was employed with, forwarded an email they received recounting the story of a child who was in the back seat of the bus:
“I attend church with many school district personnel, and yesterday I heard a remarkable story from one of the school district members. She said the little boy who was sitting in the last seat of the bus has stated that just before hitting the school bus your driver made eye contact with him and swerved to miss impacting the bus right where he was sitting. In everyone’s mind here, Sid died as a hero. We may never know all of the circumstances, but we choose to believe exactly that. The situation could have been so much worse. The tragedy for your company and his family is no less heartbreaking, but there is a little boy in Quincy who will always believe that Sid made a last second decision that saved his life.” - Glenda Bishop CEO
Specific details notwithstanding, I find some solace, despite my loss, believing that during his last few moments of life, his thoughts and actions were focused on minimizing the risk of injury to his passengers and others on the scene even though it meant sacrificing his own life. He will be forever in our hearts and minds, and my mother and I will miss him dearly.
Donations of any amount are deeply appreciated. They will be used to cover unexpected end of life expenses.
My father was the kindest person I knew and would help anybody in need. He was happiest when others were happy and never spoke ill of another person, choosing instead to always see the best in people. He may have called himself anti-social, but anyplace he went, everyone liked my father. He never met an animal who didn't love him, and he loved them all back. He was a veteran of Vietnam where he did two tours as a helicopter pilot.
We are all hurting.
Organizer
Andrea Austin
Organizer
Spokane, WA
