A high school student in Michigan has received praise from several of his classmates and teachers after successfully stopping a school bus before it caused an accident. An incident involving the driver had just occurred, and she could no longer direct the device.
Dillon Reeves, a first-grade student at a school in Warren, near Detroit, had to act quickly when he noticed that his driver was not in a usual state. In what the principal of Warren Consolidated Schools called an “extraordinary act of courage and maturity”, the young teenager was certainly in the right place at the right time.
The driver reportedly experienced “dizziness”, accompanying the young schoolchildren to their homes on Wednesday afternoon. She quickly called the central bus service to tell them that she was not feeling well and immediately tried to pull the vehicle to the side of the road while waiting for the transport department to send someone to replace her. . However, she did not manage to get to where she wanted to stop.
Seated about five seats from the driver, Reeves immediately stood up, rushed to the front of the bus and grabbed the steering wheel. This is how he was able to stop the vehicle in the middle of the street, all in the general panic.
Security videos released by law enforcement show the young boy grabbing the steering wheel, slowly applying pressure to the brake and shouting to other passengers, “Someone needs to call 9-1-1. NOW. Someone should call 9-1-1. I do not care! Someone needs to call 9-1-1!” according to information relayed by CNN.
Police and firefighters responded quickly to the call. They showed up on the scene within minutes. No injuries were reported among the passengers, but the 66 of them were visibly shaken by their adventure.
The condition of the driver, a 40-year-old woman, is “stable”, but precautions have been taken. She was taken to hospital for an examination, according to the fire department. She was able to communicate with the first responders during the assessment.
Dillon Reeves’ parents also wanted to congratulate their “little hero”.
“We are very proud of him. It’s very trying for everyone here,” said the father, Steve.
The students ended up being transferred to a different bus to continue their journey after the incident.