A “quick-thinking” seventh-grader in Michigan became the class hero Wednesday when he took control of a school bus after the driver suddenly lost consciousness.
Dillon Reeves, a student at Carter Middle School, was able to stop the bus from crashing after he realized the bus driver was experiencing a medical emergency while taking the kids home near Detriot.
The bus driver “became lightheaded and lost consciousness while the bus was traveling on Masonic Boulevard near Bunert Road,” Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Livernois said.
While Livernois did not identify the boy in his statement, Warren City Councilman Jonathan Lafferty shared a message of praise for the boy in a Facebook post.
“This young man jumped into action when his school bus driver experienced a medical emergency, bringing the bus to a stop and avoiding what could have been a very tragic accident,” Lafferty wrote. “We are very proud of you for your heroic actions!”
Both officials lauded Dillon for stepping in and preventing the alarming situation from taking a turn for the worse.
“A quick-thinking 7th-grade male student saw the driver in distress, stepped to the front of the bus and helped bring it to a stop without incident,” Livernois wrote online.
Police officers and the fire department responded quickly and tended to the driver.
The students in the affected driver’s bus were loaded onto a different school bus to make their journey home, Livernois said.
“The actions of the student who helped stop the bus made all the difference today, and I could not be prouder of his efforts,” Livernois wrote on Facebook.
It was not immediately clear how many children were on the bus when the driver began to experience medical issues. The driver’s current condition is unknown.