Update On Parkway North Spring Break Bus Incident: 'Scary as all Get Out'

Patch is learning more about some of the circumstances surrounding a harrowing bus trip for members of the Parkway North High School Marching Band and Orchestra en route to Florida to catch a cruise to the Bahamas for a Spring Break competition.

KSDK first reported yesterday on the heroic actions taken by Band Director Mark Linn to guide a bus full of students to safety after the driver appeared to be unconscious while on a Georgia highway near Atlanta.

By phone with Patch Friday morning, Linn said it was "scary as all get out." The bus was one of three for the group, carrying 40 students and six adults. When it swerved and hit a guardrail, Linn said he knew he had to step into action to bring the bus to a stop. Another bus was immediately behind it and the third not far after that.

A district spokeswoman said chaperones on the trip included a doctor and a nurse, and that the driver was alert by the time emergency crews responded to the scene. She added that students were in touch with their families via cell phones and that the school notified parents Thursday night

A representative of the bus company, USA Tours Bus Line, was not available for comment Friday morning.

The group is departing Friday from Orlando for the cruise to the Bahamas, which includes a Band and Orchestra competition Saturday morning. The group is due back at Parkway North early Tuesday morning after an overnight drive. "I don't think I'll be sleeping that night," Linn said, while adding his students are having a great time.

"Kids are so resilient," he said. "It's so yesterday's news."