A 16-year-old camp counselor said yesterday “I did what I had to do” when she bravely took the wheel of a Queens school bus after the driver had a fatal heart attack and fell out the door.
“I jumped into the driver’s seat, I put my foot on the brake as hard as I could, and I pulled the parking brake,” Rachel Guzy told The Post.
Her actions helped save the lives of the nine camp kids on board.
The quick-thinking teen — who has yet to get a learner’s permit — was sitting behind driver Salvador Ramon Fernandez, 59, as he drove down Elmhurst Avenue at 4:40 p.m. Tuesday.
The two chatted about the intense heat, and she asked where the bus’ next stop would be.
“He didn’t answer,” Rachel recalled. “I looked over and a car was coming and he kept going.”
The driver slumped to the side and rolled out the open door.
She grabbed the wheel and slammed on the brakes. The bus collided with a minivan as it skidded through the intersection, but nobody was hurt.
“Salvador was a quiet giant — a strong, reliable worker who cared deeply for the kids,” said Andy Foss, director of Magic Carpet Day Camp, where Fernandez worked along with Rachel.
Camper Artemis Sacramone, 12, was awed by her new hero. “I think she’s amazing,” Artemis said. “I hugged her.”