EAGLEVILLE, PA – A Montgomery County woman who touched the lives of countless special needs students and colleagues as a school bus attendant was killed as a bystander during a police chase in Lehigh County early Tuesday.
The Methacton School District, where she worked, and the many people she had come to know during her years in the community deeply mourned the loss of Susan Henderson, 67.
The incident occurred in the 4100 block of Hecktown Road in Lower Nazareth Township and began with an expired inspection sticker on a vehicle, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
A Colonial Regional Police officer attempted to stop the vehicle of 27-year-old Daneiris Abreu of the Bronx, New York, but Abreu fled, police said.
During the ensuing chase, he eventually lost control of his vehicle and collided head-on with Henderson, who was driving in the opposite lane of Hecktown Road, authorities said.
Henderson was taken to nearby St. Luke's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Abreu and a passenger in his vehicle suffered minor injuries and he was charged with involuntary manslaughter and related charges.
The Methacton community was stunned.
“Our hearts are heavy with the loss of a dedicated Methacton school bus attendant, Susan Henderson, who selflessly cared for students with special needs,” the Special Education Alliance of MCC-Methacton said in a statement. “We extend our deepest condolences to her family and all who were touched by her kindness and dedication.”
A few days before the incident, Henderson had only published a photo of herself and her grandchild.
“My youngest granddaughter's first day of kindergarten!! I only cried a little…” she wrote.
6ABC reports that Henderson was on her way to pick up her granddaughter from school when the accident occurred.
