Bus driver Tommy Jacques commended for emergency actions to help sick child

MADISON – Sometimes, you can find a hero close to home. Even as close as the bus stop for Madison City Schools.

Tommy Jacques demonstrated heroic actions during his bus route for Midtown Elementary School. That routine commute on Nov. 18, 2025, changed drastically.

“The little boy was sitting directly behind me, but, with the tall seats, I couldn’t see him directly,” Jacques said. “He’s a good kid and goes to sleep a lot.”

As the route progressed, one of his students walked to the front of the bus. “I asked her to wake him up,” Jacques said. However, the girl told him, “He’s not waking up, Tommy.”

In responding to the student, “I have to give the Lord some credit. When you find a student who is nonresponsive, your blood pressure goes to the ceiling,” Jacques said.

Immediately, Jacques called the bus garage and told them his location and current scenario. “I need an ambulance now,” he said, screaming to indicate the urgency. “I told the garage staff later that I was sorry for yelling but it was a serious situation.”

Jacques told the other students to go to the back of the bus. “I felt the boy’s pulse and put him on his side,” Jacques said about administering first aid. “By the time I got that done, a policeman was on the bus. He tried to get the boy awake. I would have given the boy mouth-to-mouth (resuscitation), if needed.”

In about three more minutes, paramedics arrived on the scene. “They tried to rouse him and eventually took the boy to hospital,” Jacques said. The boy revived at the hospital and had a complete recovery.

Healthy once again, the boy has returned to riding the bus. “We gave him a good hand (of applause) when he came back,” Jacques said.

At a Madison Board of Education meeting, MCS Superintendent Dr. Ed Nichols and Transportation Administrator Dr. Travis Schrimsher honored Jacques for his quick action, calm demeanor and lifesaving skills. Jacques’ certificate of recognition reads “In honor of your exceptional high standard of empathy, patience, care and professionalism shown for the safety and well-being of students you transport by bus.”

In a Facebook post, MCS reported Jacques’ help for the student. People replied in praise to the post:

• “Stellar gentleman, model for all employees and students of Madison City Schools! He gives us hope! Congratulations and deep appreciation, Mr. Jacques!”

• “We love you, Mr. Tommy! My kids were scared to ride the bus until you came around. Thank you for keeping our kids safe!”

• “Mr. Tommy is TOP tier!”

• “Tommy has always been a good guy!”

• “Thank you, Tommy, for your dedication to the well-being of your riders.”

• “Midtown loves Mr. Tommy!” Previously, Jacques accumulated eight years of experience in bus driving while living in the small town of Franklin Furnace, Ohio. The town’s name relates to an early iron ore furnace that operated in the 1800s.

“In Ohio, the (school system) was so small that we had seven buses . . . and here, Madison has 107 buses,” Jacques said. Fortunately, the school system provided annual training and CPR classes that helped him to respond to an emergency.

Eventually, Jacques and another driver in Ohio taught a safety class that guided students about exiting a bus and then gathering as a group.

For his Midtown route, Jacques talks to the children every day about safety. He has explained to one student about using the bus radio to call the transportation office if he were to have a medical emergency. “You can call, and they’ll come right to the spot.”

To reinforce safety measures, “Parents need to make sure that they talk to children about sitting in the bus seat properly. Also, do not eat on the bus, because a child could get choked, and I wouldn’t hear the student,” Jacques said.

Jacques has one son, 52 years old, and a grandchild that’s 23 years old.

Jacques love to fish, especially bass and crappie. “I’ve fished in every lake . . . Lake Martin, Lake Jordan, Decatur Flats and Lake Guntersville and used to fish in tournaments.”

“I like to show a kid how to fish by catching a blue gill. I never carry them to fish for bass to start. Blue gill is hard to catch” but teaches them, he said.