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Students come to the aid of school principal in head-on collision

Nikolas Amussen, who graduated in 2019, Avery Endler,  who graduated in June, and Olivia Endler, a rising senior, witnessed a head-on collision between a driver and Becky Wardlow, principal at Winding Creek Elementary School.
The quick actions of these three students after the crash on Monday, August 3 helped provide emergency assistance and calm during the incident, a school spokeswoman told PLN. The Endlers, who were in the car just behind Wardlow and her husband, called 911.
“I was mostly in shock but I knew that I needed to remain calm. I needed to be there, in the moment, and present,” said Olivia. “We immediately stopped and while Avery went to the car, I dialed 911.”
While Olivia was providing details for emergency services, Endler and Amussen attended to the scene.
“I ran over to the driver’s side of Mrs. Wardlow’s car and spoke with her husband, who said he was ok,” said Amussen.  “On my way to the passenger side, I stopped at the other car and pulled the driver out of the passenger side. I checked on him and he said he was ok, so I went to help Mrs. Wardlow on the passenger side of her car.”
One person was taken to a hospital with injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening.
The compassion and quick thinking provided a calming presence during the anxious scene.
“Avery held my hand and stayed by my side, talking to me, calming me, and staying with me until the ambulance came,” said Wardlow. “He saw that my car was still on and thought to turn off the engine because of the smoke. While holding my hand, he checked on the driver of the other car, made sure he was ok, and told him to make sure his engine was off."
Both young men knew they should keep Wardlow engaged until the ambulance arrived.
“She was having trouble catching her breath and told her to relax, that my sister was on the phone with emergency services,” said Avery. “We talked to her to keep her mind off the pain and keep her engaged.”
Wardlow is this year’s Washington Post Principal of the Year finalist for Stafford County Public Schools.

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