Ward Van Roy from Brussels prevented a major accident on the E19 motorway near Mons at the weekend. He was travelling on a FlixBus from Paris to Brussels when the driver suddenly became unwell. Ward took over the wheel and was able to steer the bus safely onto the hard shoulder.
“When I noticed something was wrong, I immediately jumped up and went to the driver,” Ward said. “At first I thought he had fallen asleep, so I wanted to wake him up. But when I saw him, I knew something was seriously wrong. He was looking ahead with a rigid gaze and he was unresponsive.”
The bus had already collided with the guardrail at that point and was swerving toward the central reservation. “I took over the wheel. Then I tried to get the bus under control to guide it to the hard shoulder. I tried to reach the pedals with my foot because the driver’s feet were still on the pedals. I was able to push them off and so I could brake.”
He then managed to stop the bus safely on the hard shoulder. “The other passengers were in shock,” Ward said. “They were screaming or they just sat completely numb. Of course, I’m not used to driving a bus. When I hit the brakes, everyone started screaming even more. I braked pretty hard, apparently.”
A doctor who was on the bus provided first aid to the driver, who was then taken to hospital. “I learned later that he had a stroke and needed surgery. We all hope he can recover,” Ward said. Another driver was dispatched to transport the passengers to Brussels.