Passenger, 15, hailed as hero for last-second move after bus driver suffers heart attack

A 15-year-old schoolgirl has been hailed as a hero for steering a bus carrying 25 students to safety when the driver suffered a heart attack.

The Aquinas College bus crashed on Southport Nerang Road at Ashmore on the Gold Coast in Australia about 3:20 p.m. Monday.

Witnesses said the driver “cried out and grabbed his chest,” then became unresponsive.

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A quick-thinking female student who was sitting in the front seat of the bus grabbed the steering wheel and guided the bus into traffic lights to avoid other vehicles at a busy intersection.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor John Nolan told the Gold Coast Bulletin that the driver lost consciousness for a period of time when the girl came to his aid.

He said her brave actions saved the other 25 students from serious harm as she steered the bus away from other traffic.

“She removed his foot from the accelerator and his hands from the steering wheel and she kept the bus straight as it slowed down,” he said.

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“She has brought it to a safe stop on what is a very busy road. And they had just passed a very busy intersection, so it could have been a bad situation.

“It was a very brave and very courageous thing for her to do and she has saved all her fellow schoolmates from any harm.”

Emergency services rushed the 70-year-old bus driver to the Gold Coast University Hospital in serious condition.

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“I did say ‘Well done’ to her. She was a little bit flustered and some of the other students were a little emotional,” Nolan said.

“Some teachers arrived soon after and walked the students back to school, but all those students are safe because of her actions and she should be very proud.”

Aquinas College principal Marcus Richardson praised the action of students and staff who were at the scene.

“Fortunately, no one was hurt, and all students safely returned to the college,” he said.

“As a college, our primary concern remains the safety, well-being and support of students.

“I would like to commend the actions of the students and staff involved today to ensure that all members of our school community remained safe.”

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