Jonathan Mendelsohn
Dillon Reeves, a 7th grader from Warren, Michigan, saved himself and his fellow students on a school bus after the bus driver fainted while behind the wheel. The boy took over the vehicle when the driver became incapacitated, grabbing the wheel and pulling on the brake.
Videos by Rare
Police video of the incident, which occurred this past Wednesday afternoon, showcased the unnamed female driver waving her hat at her face like a fan and murmuring, “I feel very dizzy and I have to pull over.” The video shows the driver fainting before the boy pulls the break and firmly says, “Someone call 911, now! Someone should call 911. I don’t care! Someone call 911.” No one was injured, and the driver is under observation at the hospital.
Young Hero Dillon Reeves Saved His Peers on the Schoolbus
In a statement on the heroic action of Dillon, Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert D. Livernois said, “I could not be prouder of his efforts. The Warren Police and Fire Departments responded very quickly, tended to the driver, and the students were safely loaded onto a different bus to make their way home… He had the wherewithal to push it [the brake] slowly, likely in anticipation that the bus was full of passengers.” Livernois also stated that Dillon stopped the bus from veering “into oncoming traffic.”
Dillon’s parents, Steve and Ireta Reeves, spoke about the incident at a news conference alongside Livernois. Ireta said, “To do something like this, fills my heart, makes my heart skip a beat, to even watch that video again. I’m just … I can’t even express the proudness. I’m extremely proud of him… I asked him, ‘Dillion how did you know what to do?’ ‘How did you know how to drive that bus?’ He said, ‘I watch her do it every day,’ so he pays close attention to everybody.”
Dillon’s father added, “He’s been on my lap driving country roads, pulling in driveways since about 4 years old. Driving side by side with me in the passenger seat about 9, driving golf carts. He’s a good driver. He could probably drive one of the cars out of here and be OK. He’s very attentive to his surroundings.” Lois E. Carter Middle School has noted that Dillon will be presented with an award of some sort for his actions.
