The student Dillon Reeves grabbed the steering wheel after the driver fell unconscious.
A Class 7 student saved the lives of his classmates and other students by jumping into action to control the school bus as the driver fell unconscious. The incident took place in Michigan on Wednesday. A video released by the Warren Consolidated Schools shows the driver nodding off while driving the bus and the student Dillon Reeves entering the camera frame shortly after and grabbing the steering wheel. He was able to bring the bus to a safe stop on Masonic Boulevard near Bunert Road, according to Fox2 Detroit.
Watch the video:
Superintendent Robert Livernois said at that point the bus was beginning to veer into what would have been incoming traffic.
"Someone call 911. Now," the school boy shouted calmly to others aboard the bus, which had about 66 passengers at the time of the incident, as per Fox2 Detroit. Screams can be heard from other students.
Mr Livernois was quoted as saying by the outlet that the driver had already alerted the transportation base that she was not feeling well and was going to pull over.
Dillon was five rows behind the driver and jumped into action within seconds after noticing the driver had lost consciousness.
"A quick-thinking 7th-grade male student saw the driver in distress, stepped to the front of the bus and helped bring it to a stop without incident. 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," Mr Livernois said in a statement posted on Facebook.
"The actions of the student who helped stop the bus made all the difference today, and I could not be prouder of his efforts," he added.
The entire school saluted Dillon on Thursday at a special ceremony where people heard about the bravery shown by him, reported Detroit Free Press.
An investigation has been launched to check if the driver was under the influence, but the outlet quoted school officials as saying that doesn't appear to be the case.