- A teenage Michigan schoolboy becomes a local hero for steering a bus to safety after the driver falls unconscious
- Dillon Reeves, 13 years old, was on his way home from school in Warren, Michigan, when the incident happened
- The young boy was able to save his own life, the life of the bus driver, as well the lives
A teenage Michigan schoolboy became a local hero after steering a school bus to safety after the vehicle driver fell unconscious, putting the lives of the people on board at risk.
The 13-year-old boy quickly sprung into action and drove the packed school bus on Wednesday as he was going home from school. The boy, identified as Dillon Reeves, was returning from Warren, Michigan when the incident happened.
Heroic 13-Year-Old Michigan Schoolboy
He was able to save 66 other students who were riding on the bus that day. The incident occurred when the bus driver, at some point in the journey, started to feel dizzy and later lost consciousness, as per the Straits Times.
Surveillance footage from inside the bus showed the bus driver, a woman, talking on her radio, saying that she would pull over. However, before she could safely steer the bus to safety to give herself a moment to rest, she started to shake and quickly fell unconscious.
When the 13-year-old schoolboy realized what was happening to his bus driver, he rushed to the front of the vehicle and took control of the moving bus. The video captured the screams of the students riding the bus as Reeves slammed on the brakes and immediately brought the bus to a stop.
After putting the bus to a stop, Reeves called on other students to call 911 to ask for assistance regarding the situation. Fortunately, no one was injured during the incident, and the driver of the bus was later taken to a hospital, where she remains under care.
Steering the Bus to Safety
Warren Consolidated School District Superintendent Robert D. Livernois later released a statement through Facebook saying that the schoolboy noticed the bus driver was in "distress" and quickly stepped in to bring the bus to a halt without incident, according to ABC News.
On Thursday, Livernois praised Reeves for his quick thinking and actions, calling it an "extraordinary act of courage." The teenager's parents, Ireta and Steve Reeves, described their son as a generally quiet boy. The 13-year-old did not speak a the event where his heroic actions were celebrated.
The superintendent added that the first respondents from the Warren Police and Fire Departments could attend to the bus driver following a 911 call. They also helped the students get on another bus so that they could go back home safely.
Livernois said that nothing could have made the situation any better after the bus driver lost consciousness. He added that adults later helped kids get out of the vehicle through the back door. The schoolboy declined to speak to reporters on Thursday, but his parents praised their son's heroic actions.