Incredible footage from a Michigan school bus captured the moment 13-year-old Dillon Reeves sprang into action when the driver suddenly lost consciousness.
Dillon, from Warren, Michigan, was still years away from earning his driver’s license when he found himself at the wheel of Bus No. 46 last April on his way home from school.
Noticing the bus swerving, he glanced at the driver and saw her head slumped forward, eyes closed, with no hands on the wheel or pedals. “It just didn’t seem right,” Dillon later told People.
Realizing the bus was veering toward a curb, he rushed to the front, grabbed the wheel, and corrected its course—narrowly avoiding a collision at an intersection. He then carefully applied the brakes, bringing the bus to a safe stop with all 60 middle school passengers unharmed. Calm under pressure, he instructed his classmates to call 911.
Though shaken, the students were uninjured, and the bus driver was taken to the hospital before later returning home in good condition.
According to People, the driver later reached out to Dillon’s stepmother, Ireta Reeves, to personally thank the young hero for his quick thinking and bravery.
Dillon didn’t hesitate to grab the wheel (WXYZ)
“I’m so thankful Dillon was on the bus that day,” she began.
“His swift actions saved lives and property and he deserves all the attention for his bravery. He was asking a few months back about being a bus driver, how old did you have to be and if it was hard,” the message continued.
“He thought he might want to be a bus driver one day. It’s a great job. I love it. But I hope Dillon can see his potential to be so much more.”
Dillon Reeves has been praised as a ‘hero’ (Facbeook/Ireta Reeves)
Dillon’s dad, Steve Reeves, described himself as being ‘very, very proud’ of the way his son had stepped in.
“This is overwhelming for all of us […] He is very attentive to his surroundings.”
To show their appreciation for Dillon’s courage, local officials decorated the family’s front garden with a sign that read ‘Hero’.
However, the young boy remained modest in the wake of the incident, with Ireta saying: “He’s like, ‘All I did was stop the bus’.”
