Hero bus passenger saves Pink fans travelling to Sunderland gig after driver passes out
A heroic bus passenger leaped into action to save Pink fans travelling to the star’s Sunderland gig after the coach driver passed out at the wheel.
Alex Brewster was with 51 other passengers making the journey from South Lanarkshire to the singer’s concert at the Stadium of Light[1] in Sunderland[2], on Saturday, June 10. The 40-year-old was on the M74 near Moffat when the Caledonian Travel staff member lost consciousness as temperatures soared to 29°C.
Passengers screamed in terror as the coach began to swerve across the lanes of the motorway at a speed of 70mph while the driver was slumped in his seat.
Alex, from Larkhall, sprang into action and grabbed the wheel of the out-of-control vehicle to steer it away from road barriers, before pulling on the handbrake to slow it down.
The dad-of-two told the Daily Record[4]: “I noticed the bus swerving and jumped up from my seat. I was sitting directly behind the bus driver. Luckily, I’m a qualified bus driver.
Alex Brewer was travelling with his wife Siobhan on a Caledonian Travel bus to see Pink at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland. (Image: UGC)
“It’s just sheer luck that I was there. I dread to think what could have happened that day.”
Alex had managed to get the bus onto the hard shoulder while the three nurses on board the bus attended to the driver at the side of the road. Police and an air ambulance then arrived at the scene to take the driver to hospital.
Alex’s wife Siobhan, 45, who was also on the coach, said her husband’s quick-thinking may have saved lives.
She added: “I’m glad Alex was there and it was just one person left needing medical help and not a coach full of people.”
One of the nurses, Emma Bavidge, 25, believes she is lucky to be alive. “It was absolutely terrifying,” she said.
“The bus was swerving and everyone was screaming and shouting in panic. It felt like something very serious was about to happen and Alex definitely saved lives with his actions. I feel very lucky to have gotten out of the situation alive.”
Police then asked Alex to get behind the wheel again to take the bus and its passengers to Moffat Service Station under an escort before a replacement driver to take them to the concert was arranged.
Nurse Emma continued: “We all started to relax a bit at that point and thankfully we all made it to the concert in one piece.
“We heard the next day that the poor bus driver had some kind of heart event, but he had been discharged from hospital and was resting at home.”
Bus operator, Caledonian Travel, said the bus driver is recovering well and thanked Alex for his actions.
“We very much appreciate the concerns expressed by our clients who were travelling to the Pink concert last weekend,” a spokesman said.
“The coach was brought safely to a standstill. We are most grateful for this precautionary assistance and we sincerely hope that our clients went on to enjoy the concert.
“We are happy to report that the driver is recovering well whilst currently undergoing medical examination.”
References
- ^ Stadium of Light (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Sunderland (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Join ChronicleLive’s Whatsapp community for breaking news and top stories (www.chroniclelive.co.uk)
- ^ Daily Record (www.dailyrecord.co.uk)