The paramedic who asked the question would repeat the answer for years afterward.

I keep thinking about the moment before they moved.

Five motorcycles stopping on the shoulder.
Five men looking over a guardrail.
The sound of children screaming from inside twisted metal.

There had to be half a second — maybe less — where each of them understood the danger.

The slope.
The unstable bus.
The fuel.
The possibility the whole thing could collapse.

And still not one of them stayed up top.