Two quick-thinking passengers on a Colorado transit bus stopped what could have turned into a tragic incident when the driver fell from their seat as the vehicle was moving, officials said.
The driver of the Mountain Metropolitan Transit (MMT) bus in Colorado Springs experienced a medical emergency around 7:45 a.m. on Oct. 14, the agency told Fox News Digital. Before the driver fell from his seat, one passenger noticed his “predicament” and moved toward the front of the bus, officials said.
Another rushed from the back of the bus and took control of the wheel before bringing it to a safe stop and contacting a dispatcher via the bus radio.
“Despite the efforts of emergency responders, the driver passed away,” the agency said.
Only three passengers were on the bus at the time of the incident.
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.
She noted that the name of the driver cannot be released because of HIPAA regulations and that his family has requested privacy. All drivers on MMT buses work for Transdev, a contractor that provides operators for the transit agency.
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