Dramatic moment 13-year-old stops bus with 66 kids on board after driver falls unconscious behind the wheel
Topics: US News
Ben Thompson
Featured Image Credit: WXYZ
Topics: US News
This is the dramatic moment a heroic 13-year-old boy saved the lives of his classmates after the school bus driver fell unconscious at the wheel. Take a look:
Dillon Reeves was one of 67 students travelling home from Carter Middle School in Warren, Massachusetts, when the bus driver became light headed and passed out.
In surveillance footage, the driver can be seen saying she feels light headed and is going to pull over before she began to shake and slumped over at the wheel.
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Fortunately, Reeves rushed to the front of the bus and took control, finding the brake pedal and halting the vehicle in its path.
He then instructed his friends to call 911.
Miraculously, nobody was hurt in the incident but students can be heard screaming in the footage, understandably shaken by what had just happened.
The bus driver remains under care in hospital.
Warren Consolidated School hosted a press conference to congratulate Reeves' quick thinking and bravery.
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."
Though Reeves opted to humbly stand aside at the press conference, his proud parents spoke on his behalf.
Dad Steve Reeves said: "Very, very proud. This is overwhelming for all of us. This is national at this point.
"He is very attentive to his surroundings."
To show their appreciation for Reeves' courage, local officials have decorated the family's front garden with a sign that reads 'Hero'.
Mother Ireta Reeves also said of her son: "He’s really a great guy this year. He’s come a long way. Great grades, experiences at school with friends.
"To do something like this fills my heart and makes my heart skip a beat."
On social media, she speculated that there may have been a higher power at work in her son's quick thinking.
Ireta said: "Jesus had everything to do with the bravery and swift action Dillon displayed today. To Dillon, it’s just another day. He has no idea the amount of people who are so proud of him today."
When she asked her son how he learnt to drive the bus, he reportedly told her: "I watched her do it everyday."
The humble seventh grader is due to receive an award from the Warren Police Department.
Anybody else feeling like a bit of an underachiever?