LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The Hillview community came together to celebrate a beloved school bus driver exactly one month after he was killed in a car crash.
"He was the closest thing to perfect that there was," Sara Benningfield, Jason's widow, said. "I'm thankful he was mine. I'm blessed."
Jason Benningfield (right) was a beloved member of the Mt. Washington community. (submitted photo)
Jason Benningfield was a Bullitt County Schools bus driver.
"He was so excited," Wes Stafford, a friend and coworker, said. "He said, 'Wes, I would do this for free but don't tell anybody.'"
For nearly five years, he took care of students like Ian Johnson, a fifth grade bus rider.
"He made me feel safe," Johnson said. "I rode his bus for two years, and it's not the same. He was really nice."
The morning of Sept. 8, the 48-year-old was on his way to the compound to pick up his bus. However, before he arrived, two pickup trucks crashed. He was driving one of them and died. No arrests have been announced yet.
"There's a lot of unanswered questions about what happened to Jason," Sara Benningfield said. "We have to hold on to the hope that we'll get answers sooner rather than later."
Friends and family in the Hillview community remembered Jason and his passions Sunday with a car show fundraiser.
A fundraiser was held on Oct. 8, 2023 in honor of Jason Benningfield, a Bullitt County Schools bus driver, who died in a crash. (WDRB photo)
"Jason was an avid Mustang lover," Sara Benningfield said. "Fast cars, pretty cars. He had too many to count."
The event featured food trucks, live music, and raffles. Vendors and everyone entered in the car show donated a minimum of $20.
More than $6,000 was raised, and it will help the elementary school students he adored most.
"It's going to his bus babies," she said. "The love he had toward me, his family, his coworkers and his bus babies is unmatchable."
Sara Benningfield hopes this becomes an annual tradition, so her husband's memory will live on.
"You never realize the impact you're making," she said. "If Jason were here, he would be amazed at how he's brought a community together."
If you would like to support the Benningfield family, there’s a Gofundme taking donations.Â
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