13-year-old student saves 60 students from imminent bus crash in US

66 students owe their safety, possibly even their lives, to a young person. The teen Dillon Reeves was in the right place at the right time – and did exactly the right thing. The 13-year-old is now celebrated as a small-town American hero. “We are very proud of you for your heroic act!” Alderman Jonathan Lafferty wrote in a Facebook post.

Several US media, referring to authorities, reported an incident describing the courageous intervention of the 13-year-old from Warren north of Detroit, Michigan.

On the school bus when the driver passed out

Students were walking home from Carter Middle School on Wednesday when the bus driver “became dizzy and passed out,” BBC director Robert Livernois was quoted as saying.

Video of the incident shows the bus driver radioing that she is unwell and may have to stop. Shortly afterwards, the woman loses control of the wheel and falls. The screams of students can be heard as the bus veers off the track.

Courageous intervention could have prevented worse

The 13-year-old student named Dillon Reeves from Carter Middle School in Warren didn’t hesitate. He jumped five rows forward from his seat and took the wheel.

Director Livernois said Dillon saw the “emergency driver” and went to the front of the bus and “helped him stop.” As the bus came to a stop, Dillon yelled through the bus for someone to call 911 “immediately.”

It is not clear why the bus driver fainted. So far there has been no such incident with her. The CNN news channel, citing the fire department, reported that the 40-year-old was taken to a hospital in a “stable condition” for examination.

Police call: Dillon’s father was shocked at first

Apparently, Dillon’s father Steve Reeves initially suspected nothing positive when he called the police: The father first asked: “What the hell has he done?”, several local media reported. The answer should not only have been a relief to him, but made him proud: “No, your son is a hero,” the officials are said to have replied.

Dillon’s stepmother, Ireta Reeves, is also apparently proud. She wrote on Facebook: “He’s home and everyone is fine, all thanks to Dillon!!!” And: “It’s a normal day for Dillon. He has no idea how many people are so proud of him today.”