ST. JOHNS COUNTY , Fla. – St. Johns County emergency responders were emotional as they recognized a young man for his courage Wednesday evening.
Kaden Hicks was injured when his school bus ran off the road along I-95. The wreck happened the morning of Nov. 18.
Recommended Videos
Kaden has gone through seven surgeries since then, as he continues to recover. The middle schooler was honored at the St. Johns County administration building and cheered on as he received a certificate, a ball cap, and a medal.
Kaden's heroes were the first responders who pulled him from the crumbled bus and got him moving to a hospital.They acknowledged it takes a lot of courage for a 12-year-old to go through what he's experienced.
News4Jax spoke with his mother, Brandi Steffen, who said they're incredibly grateful.
"Day by day we're recovering. He's had seven surgeries, so we're just taking it one day at a time right now."
Steffen said it's been an emotional roller-coaster. They relived a dark day at the awards ceremony but experienced it in a different way.
"Very emotional actually, that was the first time I'd seen any video on the actual incident. I had heard the 911 call several times but seeing the video definitely was a little tear-jerking," said Steffen.
First responders were just as moved as the crowd was at the ceremony Wednesday night. They were moved to hear the 911 call, moved to see video, moved to see Kaden -- confined to a wheelchair while showing off his new medal from St. Johns County Fire Rescue.
Steffen said she's thankful for the recognition of her son but also filled with gratitude for the people who rushed to save her 12-year-old.
"Just thankful, thankful for Kaden being here, thankful for them helping him. Just thankful for the award for Kaden and them recognizing him and all other children on the bus, not just Kaden, as well. I'm glad we live in a community where we can have such quick responders and act the way they did in this situation," said Steffen.
Kaden's mom said he won't be back at Pacetti Bay Middle School this year. She definitely appreciated the chance to shake hands with and meet the people who were on the scene.