Two quick-thinking passengers on a Colorado Springs transit bus averted a potential tragedy on October 14 when the driver collapsed due to a medical emergency, according to Fox News. The incident occurred around 7:45 am on a Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT) Route 1 bus travelling from Hillside to Hancock Plaza.
According to Fox News, as the driver fell from his seat, one passenger quickly moved to the front of the bus, while another rushed from the back to take control of the steering wheel. They safely brought the bus to a stop and contacted a dispatcher for assistance. At the time, only three people were on board: the driver and the two passengers, who acted heroically to prevent a serious accident.
Video footage from inside the bus shows the two passengers rushing to the front as the driver falls from his seat. One is seen holding what appears to be a coffee cup and is heard asking the unseen driver, “Are you all right?”
The other is heard radioing a dispatcher to report the emergency while stopping the vehicle at a bus stop.
“Dispatch, I am on No. 1 southbound,” the second passenger said. “Your bus driver is having a seizure. I am parking the bus.”
“He’s breathing, but the seizure seems to have stopped,” he said as the bus came to a stop.
MMT spokesperson Elaine Sheridan told Fox News Digital that the agency has the name of the second passenger who jumped into the driver’s seat but has not been able to reach him to get permission to disclose his identity. The other passenger left the scene before first responders arrived because he needed to get to work, she said.
“We have publicly requested that these passengers contact us because we would like to provide them with passes as a token of our appreciation for their assistance that morning,” Sheridan said.
