School bus driver killed in accident during evacuation drill outside Newark, Delaware middle school

This story originally appeared on 6abc.

A school bus driver was killed in an accident outside a middle school in Newark, Delaware, on Thursday morning.

Family members say Wanda Montalvo, 54, of Wilmington, was a loving mother and grandmother who loved her job.

“It’s tragic. It’s very tragic,” said Roberto Pagan, Montalvo’s son. “It was a shock to wake up to. I’d just seen her yesterday, we were talking, laughing it up. She was happy to be coming back to work, and the next thing you know, I’m getting a call that she’s trapped by a bus.”

Delaware state police said as Montalvo prepared to conduct an emergency exit drill behind the bus, a second bus drifted forward for unknown reasons and hit her.

The other driver, a 53-year-old woman from New Castle, was not injured.

Emergency crews responded to Gauger Cobbs Middle School around 7 a.m. and found Montalvo on the ground unresponsive. She then went in cardiac arrest, according to first responders.

Family members told Action News that Montalvo died at the hospital.

“She loved them kids,” Pagan added. “Every time I’d call her, she’d be at the bus stop picking up the kids, no matter what it was. It was always ‘Miss Wanda, Miss Wanda, how you doing, good morning, good afternoon.'”

Montalvo’s sons visited the scene themselves on Thursday afternoon.

“At the end of the day, she was a good mom, good grandmom. She loved her job. The kids on the bus, she was always happy with the kids,” he said. “I don’t even know how to break it to my kids yet.”

Video from Chopper 6 showed two school buses, marked as Academia Antonia Alonso, and several police vehicles stopped at the scene.

The emergency exit door on one of the buses appeared to be damaged.

“We just heard like a lot of sirens, and I came out to take my daughter to daycare around like 9 a.m. and saw bunch of police officers there but I didn’t really know what was going on,” said Kelsey Still, of Newark.

State police say 48 students were on board the buses at the time. The school spokesperson said that there were a few minor injuries to students, but no one required hospitalization. Most returned to class.

“We’re working closely with the authorities as they investigate, and doing everything we can to support our staff, students, and families through this challenging time. Keeping everyone safe and cared for is our top priority, and we’re here to provide the help and resources that affected students or staff may need,” the district said, adding, “Our thoughts are with the driver and their family during this difficult time.”

Delaware state police are investigating.