Boy who saved busload of kids says he leapt into action because he wasn’t glued to his phone

A boy who saved a busload of kids has revealed he was able to leap into action because he wasn't glued to his phone.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that most children these days will have some sort of mobile phone.

Whether it's an old school brick that is only good for sending texts and making calls or it's the latest smartphone with all the bells and whistles, it's a must-have device for school-age kids.

However, one boy is being praised for not keeping his eyes locked onto his screen when things went horribly wrong on a school bus.

Dillon Reeves was one of 67 students travelling home from Carter Middle School in Warren, Massachusetts, when the bus driver passed out.

In surveillance footage, the driver could be seen saying she felt light headed and was going to pull over before she started shaking and slumped over at the wheel.

Fortunately, 13-year-old Reeves rushed to the front of the bus and took control, finding the brake pedal and halting the vehicle in its path.

He then told his friends to call 911.

Thankfully, no one was hurt, but students could be heard screaming in the footage, understandably shaken by what had just happened.

And that's all thanks to Dillon.

WXYZ

He told CBS: “What else are you going to do when you don’t have a phone? You’re going to look at people. You’re going to notice stuff.”

The teen's father, Steve, says Dillon knows the basics of driving as he's been operating golf carts for a while.

“He could probably drive one of the cars out of here and be okay. I promise you that," his father said.

Steve added in a separate interview: "Very, very proud. This is overwhelming for all of us. This is national at this point. He is very attentive to his surroundings."

There aren't enough thanks in the world for Dillon's quick thinking.

Superintendent Robert Livernois said: "He stood up, he assessed the situation and saw that the driver had passed out. This was an extraordinary act of courage.

"He jumped up from his seat, threw his backpack down, ran to the front and grabbed the wheel and brought the bus to a stop."

So there you have it; if you need a reason why you should sometimes put your phone down and take in your surroundings, this is it.

Topics: US News

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie