Mainers Heroically Prevent Bates College Bus from Falling Over the Edge

This will most likely be a first year these students will never forget.

According to WGME, on Monday, September 2, a group of first-year Bates College students had a very close call on the side of a cliff.

The incident occurred near Rangeley Lakes in Township C when, according to someone from Bates College, the bus driver lost control when attempting to rejoin the road. The back of the bus slid down the embankment while the front left wheel lifted off the ground, the news station reported.

If you look at the photos here, you can tell why everyone was so terrified because the bus truly does look like it's going to fall off the edge.

One of the students, Idris Bashir said in tears, “We were tilted so much that you could stand on the windows on the right side of the bus,” according to WGME.

Perry Virgin witnessed the bus on the brink of losing control off the cliffside.

Perry told the news station that his biggest fear came when the students were getting off of the bus because the front of the bus was wobbling. Perry and his neighbors acted fast and swooped in to helped.

Idris told the station, “A few people were crying, people were panicking.”

The locals grabbed chains to keep the bus still and to prevent it from plunging down what he guessed was a several hundred feet drop, according to WGME.

The students were extremely thankful for the hard work of the locals in helping prevent anything tragic from happening.

The president of Dirigo Bus Lines, said that this is under investigation and assumed the road's soft shoulder, loose gravel, and narrow width could be potential factors as to what happened, according to the news station.

I can't even imagine being in that scenario. Thankfully, there were Mainers there ready to help.