School Bus Driver In Pittsburgh Rescues Teacher From Storm Drain

A school bus driver in Pittsburgh rescued a teacher who slipped into a storm sewer drain along Braddock Avenue when the snowbank she was standing on collapsed Wednesday.

The driver, Cindy Mahon, told Channel 11 News reporter Kimberly Easton she was picking up elementary school students when their teacher Kate Dattilo stepped on snow that was covering the drain.

"She stepped, she went through the snow, her foot didn't and then she turned and, you know, she slid into the sewer," said Mahon.

The snow bank gave way, causing Dattilo to slip into the drain. Mahon acted quickly, and helped pull the teacher out.

"I kept pulling, and I said, 'She's not a big lady.' But I couldn't get her and I looked into the sewer and I saw her boot was stuck," said Mahon.

Mahon tried to pull Dattilo out of the sewer, but she was up to her chest.

"In my 20 years of driving a school bus, I never seen anything like that before," Mahon said. "I hate to say this, but I am glad it was the teacher and not the kids because they are so small and they would have went under and died."

Dattilo and the principal from Imagine Environmental Charter School confirmed the incident, but refused to comment.

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