A Tiffy Taffy Highlight Story: Sometimes there are stories that are just too touching, too beautiful, or too unbelievable to keep locked away. That’s why we scour the archives and bring some of them back to enjoy again. They may make you smile or shed a tear, but they’re always meant to add something to your day. This story is originally from August 2020.
Jacksonville saw the rise and fall of a young hero. IN 2020, he has involved in an accident that involved a school bus and his rental truck. The bus had 10 children inside at the time of the accident. The driver acted heroically by managing to help rescue the children from the buss regardless of his pain. Only after he helped get every child off the bus safely, did his injuries overcome his will to live.
The truck driver died at the age of 25
Johnathon Grayer was a 25-year-old young man who lived in Jacksonville with his mother and father, Veronica and Isaiah Grayer. He was described by his mum as having a pure heart. She also spoke about him in an interview. “He had this laugh about himself,” she said. On a Wednesday afternoon in August 2020, Johnathon was driving his rental pickup truck. As he was driving, a bus carrying school children had stopped on the road to let some children off the bus. In short, Johnathon did not see the bus had stopped and he crashed right into the rear end of it.
Johnathon could have done what many people do in this situation, which is freeze or cry out for help. But, ignoring his own injuries, he managed to climb out of his badly damaged rental truck. Regardless of the pain, he must have felt, he manage to help get the children off the bus and out of harm’s way. There were over a dozen children on the bus at the time he crashed into it. Fortunately, none of them were killed as a result. However, WSAV reported that 12 of the children were sent to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Officials Speak of the incident
A Bacon County fire and EMS compliance officer called Tyler Beach said: “We’ve had other accidents and tragedies and things like that in the past, but this one… had you shaken the most out of all of them.”
Johnathon was not the only person working at the scene of the accident to save the children. The school bus driver is called Jerry Sweat. They worked together to lift up seats that children were trapped underneath. This made it possible to save each one. He assisted Johnathon with rescuing the children regardless of his injuries. Thankfully, he was rushed to the hospital and he managed to survive.
CPL, Shane Copeland said: “He must’ve been running on adrenaline, and his body gave out. He was pretty much done by that point.”
Prayers, good thoughts, and condolences were sent by Governor Brian Kemp to the family of those involved. Brian had tweeted about the accident and described the incident as “terrible news.” He went on to say: “@GAFirstLady, the girls, and I are praying for the family and loved ones of the truck driver who lost their lives and the students who are injured.”

Veronica Speaks about her son
“They said that for some reason or another, he just ripped the whole seat out the bus with the child,” said Johnathon’s mother, Veronica. “And I was, like, ‘Wow.‘”
“He told a little child that they were going to get ice cream,” recalls Veronica in an interview. “And, the parents said the little kid asked, ‘Where is the man that took me off the bus? Because we were supposed to get ice cream,‘”
Isaiah Grayer also spoke about his son, and how he felt his death was of divine purpose. He said: “After it happened, he collapsed and he was just done like God saying, ‘You did what I wanted you to do.‘” He clearly feels that his son had fulfilled his life’s purpose and that’s why he died while saving children. It is a tragedy for a parent to lose their child, but this family has seen found comfort in their son’s death because of his selfless actions.
After Johnathon got each child out of the bus, his injuries became too much to bear. He collapsed from the pain and was rushed to the hospital. Soon after, he passed away from the damage to his body from the accident. Johnathon’s family has kept the families of the children on the bus in their prayers. Furthermore, they are grateful for every kind word and condolences given over the loss of one of their own.
Keep Reading: Firefighters Saved Man After Heart Attack, then Returned to Finish His Yard Work for Him.
Sources
- “Jacksonville truck driver used his final breaths to help children after school bus crash.” News 4 Jax. Corley Peel. August 18, 2020.
- “Truck driver in crash with school bus helps free trapped students before he collapses.” Local 3News. August 15, 2020