The Day Fear Gripped Raymond: A School Bus, Heavy Rain, and an Unbelievable Escape

There are days that simply feel different, days when the air hangs heavy with something inexplicable, a kind of premonition. For many in Raymond, New Hampshire, Tuesday, October 27, 2023, started out like any other rainy autumn morning. But it quickly spiraled into a nightmare scenario that, against all odds, ended in a collective sigh of profound relief. A school bus, ferrying students from both Raymond High School and Iber Holmes Gove Middle School, veered off its path, struck a utility pole, and then, in a terrifying sequence captured on dashcam, rolled onto its side. It's the kind of news that sends shivers down a parent's spine, isn't it?

The scene itself, honestly, was harrowing. Imagine it: a bright yellow bus, the very symbol of safe passage for our children, lying on its side amidst heavy downpours. It happened around 12:47 PM, on what was already a miserably wet day. Brian Loring, a driver who, serendipitously, was right there, had his dashcam rolling. And thank goodness he did. His footage—now circulating, and quite frankly, difficult to watch without your heart lurching—shows the bus sliding, hitting the pole with a jarring impact, and then tipping over. It’s an almost cinematic moment of terror, yet utterly, devastatingly real.

And then, the quiet. Or at least, what must have felt like an eternity of quiet before the sirens. Loring himself described the bus, you know, "going down the hill and it just started to slide, hit the pole, and rolled over." His immediate reaction, naturally, was to pull over, to call 911. What else could one do in such a moment? One can only imagine the surge of adrenaline, the quick prayer that surely must have crossed his mind for the kids inside.

But here’s the thing, the truly astounding part, the piece of news that made every single person involved, every parent, every emergency responder, take a deep, shaky breath: not a single student, nor the driver, suffered any serious injury. Not one. Some students were taken to Exeter Hospital for evaluation, just as a precaution, which is, of course, the right and responsible thing to do. Yet, to walk away from a rollover accident of that magnitude—it’s nothing short of a miracle, wouldn’t you agree?

Emergency crews, of course, descended upon the scene. Raymond police are now diligently investigating the cause, and frankly, the weather conditions — that relentless, heavy rain — are definitely being considered a major factor. But for parents, for the community, the immediate aftermath wasn't about the 'how' so much as the 'what if' and, crucially, the profound relief that the 'what if' never materialized. Parents were notified, children were swiftly transported to Iber Holmes Gove Middle School for reunification, and the town collectively breathed again.

In truth, these are the moments that truly test a community's resilience, its humanity. When something so terrifying unfolds, and yet, by some incredible grace, everyone emerges okay, it’s a powerful reminder of what truly matters. And honestly, it leaves you wondering about the sheer luck, or perhaps, the unseen protection that watched over those children on that rainy, fateful Tuesday in Raymond.