Teen wakes sleepy bus driver, A quick-thinking 17-year-old jumped up and grasped the hand of a school bus driver just as he started nodding off at the wheel. Emmanuel Williams said the unnamed driver, an eight-year veteran now on leave, had been driving erratically since he picked up students.There’s one key rule to being a passenger … always keep an eye on the driver!
A teenager has become a hero for thinking quickly on his feet and preventing a bus driver who fell asleep at the wheel from crashing.
17 year-old Emmanuel Williams along with 24 other students were headed home from school when he noticed the bus was swerving and missed an exit.
The 65-year-old driver had apparently nodded off and was no longer focused on the road. Without hesitation, Williams jumped up and awoke the driver before anything tragic could happen.
“I was looking at him and his eyes would close, and when we’d get to a turn, he’d look both ways, start driving again, and they would close more and more,” Williams said. “And as soon as I see his head go down, and I see the bus go back to the freeway, I hop up, get to the front of the bus as fast as I can. I guess I just did it because it was right to do.”
Once the driver was back alert and awake, he regained control of the bus.
In the days that followed the incident, Williams says he pondered over what could have happened if he wasn’t paying attention. “Something would have happened if I didn’t get up,” he said. “I know that there would have been a big huge thing going on because he would have crashed and it would have been a whole lot more than what it is now.”
Tacoma Public Schools District says the driver had a clean driving record with no accidents during eight years.
“Certainly safety is very important to us and to the families involved, and we want to get to the bottom of it and make sure nothing like this happens again,” said Dan Voelpel of Tacoma Public Schools. “It’s unusual. It’s not something we’ve dealt with before.”
The driver has been placed on administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.
What is your opinion about this situation? Would you have done the same thing?
Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check!
this is really shocking ! good thing he stopped the bus because that could have killed a whole bus of children !
ReplyDeletei agree with shania. if he didnt stop that bus then many children could of died
ReplyDeleteI would have done the same thing if i noticed that he was sleeping or not paying attention.But i don't it was big enough to call him a hero just because of what probably was just a tap on the shoulder not like taking control over the bus and driving to safety and maybe he was just resting and nothing would happen if he didn't wake him up maybe it would be just fine so i don't think this story is so big and this probably happens everywhere but we just don't hear it just because its not on the news doesn't mean it didn't happen
ReplyDeletei think that this was a good idea maby buses should have co poilets like 707 do
ReplyDeletegreat deal
ReplyDeleteIt was great that he was watching the bus driver because he was the only one who noticed. If had not reacted as quickly as he did then a lot of people could have been injured or killed. I think that if he was that tired then he should have said something like "I feel too tired to drive and get a back up driver."
ReplyDeleteMy opinion is if he was that sleepy he should have called in, because he put all those kids in danger. It reminds me of how you drive sometimes on our field trips. Yes, because my mama already says that I'm a backseat driver.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brian. And yes it is very good that he did something to notify the driver. And I agree with Richard since you are running that early in the morning you should have another driver with you.
ReplyDelete