OAN Brooke Mallory
UPDATED 12:57 PM – Friday, April 28, 2023
A 7th grade boy in Michigan who safely halted his school bus after the driver passed out is being hailed as a hero.
A Warren Consolidated Schools bus driver called the transportation headquarters on Wednesday at 2:59 p.m. local time to report that she was feeling lightheaded and needed to stop driving. She then began slowing down the vehicle to prepare to pull over, but as she was still driving she suddenly lost consciousness and passed out while the bus was still moving.
A 7th grade boy named Dillon Reeves, who was seated about five rows back, noticed the driver had passed out so he abruptly stood up and took action.
Before the bus started to veer into oncoming traffic, he tossed his backpack to the ground, sprinted to the front of the vehicle, grabbed the wheel, and applied the brakes. Dillon yelled to the other students, telling them, “Someone call 911 now!” as soon as he was finally able to stop the bus.
“In my 35-plus years of education, this was an extraordinary act of courage and maturity on his part,” Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Livernois said at a conference on Thursday.
According to Livernois, the bus driver is currently being screened for drugs and monitored while going through a round of tests at the hospital.
The driver, who was employed in July of last year, had no prior fainting episodes and had passed the necessary medical examination, according to Livernois.
Fortunately, there was not much traffic on the road at the time of the occurrence and there was no damage to the bus, according to the superintendent.
After the incident, a woman who was two cars behind the bus and a man strolling down the street stopped to assist. According to Livernois, the woman took charge and led the kids off the bus through the back so they wouldn’t obstruct emergency personnel, while the man checked on the unconscious driver.
Dillon’s father, Steve Reeves, claimed his child had frequently sat in his lap while he drove in the past and has also previously operated golf carts.
“Dillon, he’s really been a great guy this year. He’s come a long way. He’s surprised us with great grades and his performances at school, with friends, with peers, and to do something like this just fills my heart. It makes my heart skip a beat to even watch that video,” said Ireta Reeves, Dylan’s mother.
Dillon wants to be a police officer or a professional hockey player, according to his parents, who work as a health and safety supervisor and a community nurse.
According to Livernois, Dillon will soon receive a commendation award from the school board, and at home, Steve Reeves promised to take his son for ice cream and a weekend at the family’s camper.
“I don’t know that it could have gone any better, and when you have an anchor like Dylan taking care of business on the bus, it really and truly was a good day for us,” the superintendent maintained.
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