Students 'terrified' by sudden motion of school bus noticed driver was unconscious — a 7th grader's quick act saved many lives
Staying alert and aware of one's surroundings might make a huge difference in some situations. A 7th-grader's brave and swift act that saved a bus full of people is testimony to that. The students were on their way home when the driver lost consciousness. The bus was about to go off the road, but the boy stepped in and took the wheel, saving many people's lives, per CBS News. He had noticed that the bus driver was having a medical emergency and ran in to help.
The students were on their way home on an April afternoon in 2022, when they noticed that the brakes had been slammed all of a sudden. All of them were pretty scared before they looked up. They noticed that the boy, Dillon Reeves, had walked up to the driver's seat and had taken control of the wheel before slamming the brakes and stopping the vehicle. The entire incident was recorded on the bus's security footage. "I just knew what to do at that moment. The bus was swerving off the road," Reeves recounted. After the vehicle was under control, the boy screamed for someone to call 911 to help the driver. The police reached the location and called the boy's dad and stepmom.
When the dad was asked if he was the boy's parent, he wondered what his son had done. "This is a good phone call. Your son is a hero. He stopped the bus," the officer told the dad, Steve. Most students on the bus hadn't noticed that something was wrong until Reeves pressed the brakes because they were busy with phones or other devices. The dad revealed that Reeves paid attention to what was happening because his son didn't have a cell phone. "What else are you gonna do when you don't have a phone? You are going to look at people, you are going to notice stuff, you are going to look out of the window. It's a very powerful lesson. Maybe, change the world kind of a lesson."
People were in awe of the boy's quick thinking in the comments section of the video. @krishnasrinivasan7541 wrote, "He is very intelligent and brave! I am 43 years old. I have to admit that I would have panicked, frozen and I wouldn't know what to do!" @BehindGrneyes1 remarked, "I was raised in the late 70s and 80's and we didn't pay attention much better than they do now. We just entertained ourselves on that boring ride in other ways. And even those who may have noticed would have reacted in shock and fear. It's a rare youngster that age with the gumption to stand up and act with quick, clear thinking and a take-charge attitude. Kudos!"
@MrsTaylorWilliams commented, "For parents with children who own devices, please teach them the severity of being aware while you are on public transportation. Whether that is being on a bus, city bus, Uber, subway, etc. There is a MULTITUDE of instances that I know I don’t need to explain and we already know about. I have no kids to teach this to yet, but for those who have their little blessings, PLEASE teach them the reality of this life. But don’t teach them to be afraid of it."