7th Grader Calmly Takes Control Of School Bus After Driver Fell Unconscious

Dillon Reeves was heading home on the school bus with his classmates in Warren, Michigan when the unthinkable happened. The bus driver slipped into unconsciousness behind the wheel, leaving an entire school bus full of children swerving into oncoming traffic. Instead of panicking, the seventh-grader sprang into action, jumping up to steer the bus and calling out to his classmates for help. His heroic moment was caught on video, and honestly any adult would be proud to be able to remain even half as calm as Dillon in the same situation.

Last Wednesday, a bus driver was bringing students home from school when they started to struggle. In video footage shared by Warren Consolidated Schools from inside the bus, the driver can be seen fanning themself before telling dispatch that they needed to pull over because they were feeling unwell. Seconds later, the driver slumped behind the seat and appeared to be unconscious as the bus veered into oncoming traffic, according to Warren School Superintendent Robert Livernois. Young Dillon Reeves, a 13-year-old seventh grade student, was the first to react. He is seen in the video coming forward to steer the wheel calmly away from traffic, pulling the bus over and applying the brake. “Someone call 911. Now,” he called out to other students, many of whom seemed to be frightened.

Despite the fact that Dillon was five rows behind the driver, it seems he was able to jump into action quickly. And potentially saved an entire busload of students in the process. “In my 35-plus years of education, this was an extraordinary act of courage and maturity on his part,” Livernois told HuffPost. “He ran to the front of the bus, grabbed the steering wheel and brought the bus to a stop in the middle of the road. And he had the wherewithal to push the brake down slowly - likely in anticipation that the bus was full of passengers.”

Dillon’s dad Steve told reporters that he was proud of his son, calling him a “little hero” and explaining that Dillon had some experience behind the wheel. “He’s been on my lap driving country roads, pulling into driveways since about 4 years old. ... He’s a good driver.”

His mom Ireta Reeves told reporters at a press conference that her son is observant too. “I asked him how did you know what to do,” Dillon’s mom told reporters. “He said that he watches her drive every day.”