Incredible footage has emerged on YouTube, courtesy of KOMO News, of the moment a Bellevue bus driver is hit by a metal bar flying through his windshield. The bus was apparently traveling at 60mph at the time on a highway in Bellevue, Washington, when a passing car somehow launches the debris into the driver’s chest.
The Northshore School District bus was traveling from a high school basketball game when the incident occurred. An overtaking car somehow launches a metal bar through the bus’s windshield. It strikes the driver, Stewart O’Leary, in his chest. As the shrapnel strikes, O’Leary cries out in pain and clutches his chest.
Fortunately, the driver was not alone. Two coaches sitting in the back of the bus come to his aid after the bizarre incident. As O’Leary moans in pain and from shock, one of the coaches encourages him to gradually slow down. Of course, this couldn’t have been easy to do on a busy highway, but the coach’s calm demeanor reassures O’Leary. With the bus slowed down, the coach helps the driver steer the bus safely.
In the meantime, the other coach gets radios dispatch to report the incident. He explains that the driver is injured and gives the bus’s location.
YouTube commenters were full of praise for the coaches’ calmness. “Both those men are heroes,” one commented. Another said, “Thank God he’s ok & the coaches were calm & on the bus with him.”
Fortunately, O’Leary wasn’t seriously injured by the remarkable incident. The metal bar appeared to deal the driver a glancing blow. If it had penetrated his chest more deeply, the outcome could have been far more serious. Further, the quick thinking and calmness of the coaches prevented a potentially very dangerous road accident from occurring.
In fact, KOMO News confirms that O’Leary returned to work just one week after the bizarre accident. In a follow-up video, O’Leary courageously states, “I’m glad it was me, not them, any of my passengers.” He continues to say he knew he was going to be OK, but acknowledges that it could have gone a different way.
It’s difficult to account for such bizarre events. As one YouTube commenter put it, “Talk about a freak accident!” The incident highlights the importance of keeping calm, though, and ideally having people with you to help.
