A Leander ISD bus driver was arrested Tuesday and has been fired after attempting to cross a flooded roadway and being swept away with a middle school student in tow.

KVUE-TV reports that it happened around 8:30 AM when the driver, 57-year-old Nathan Deyoung, drove around a barricade on County Road 177 and tried to make it over a flooded Brushy Creek crossing.

The bus was swept away with a Deyoung and a 12-year-old student aboard. Thankfully, both were safely rescued.

The child's mother told WOAI-TV that her child called her to say, "I love you if I don't make it". That's a call no parent should ever have to receive.

KVUE and WOAI both report that Deyoung was arrested for driving past the barricade and is no longer employed by Leander ISD.

Nathan Deyoung - Williamson County Sheriff's Office
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Property owner Markus Lagmason shot several Facebook videos showing where the bus came to rest in part of the creek flowing through his land. He remarked that officials should install gates to keep people from crossing areas prone to flooding.

You can view those videos below.

We're glad this story had a happy ending, but too often we see cases of people being swept away in these flood events and being discovered dead a short time later. PLEASE learn from these stories and NEVER try to cross a flooded roadway. Even if you see someone else make it by sheer dumb luck or only think there's a small amount of water and thus minimal risk, it's not worth gambling with your life or the lives of the people you care about.





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