Hero halts runaway bus as driver has heart attack
A HERO truck driver told how he stopped a runaway bus yesterday as it hurtled towards rush-hour traffic.
Gary Welsh, 51, sprang into action when the driver of the single-decker bus collapsed at the wheel with a heart attack.
The bus had hit his flat-backed light truck from behind, taking the wing mirror off as he drove with two workmates on a main road at 7.30am.
Construction engineer Mr Welsh overtook the out-of-control bus, pulled in front of it and put his handbrake on. The manoeuvre brought the bus, which was not carrying passengers, to a halt when it smashed into the back of the truck.
Police raced to the scene on the A462 in Wednesbury, West Midlands, and officers performed heart massage before paramedics restarted the bus driver’s heart. He was taken to Walsall Manor Hospital where his condition was critical last night. Mr Welsh, from Bloxwich, said: “The bus driver’s head was down and it looked like he was on his phone. I honked the horn but he didn’t move. We stopped. We thought he would stop but he didn’t.
“I spun the truck around and darted down the road. I was in fourth gear. I don’t know what speed he was doing. We had to try to stop him so I drove in front of him, put the handbrake on and he crashed into the back of us.
“We got out and saw the driver was slumped over the wheel and started to get him out. The driver’s door was locked so we forced it with a crowbar. We managed to get him out and lay him on his side. His eyes were open but there was no response.”
An West Midlands Ambulance spokesman said: “We would like to praise the driver for ensuring the bus did not cause injury and the police for carrying out early CPR heart treatment to give the patient the best chance of survival.”