Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds. This is something we should know by now, given how many different, ordinary people do so many extraordinary things every day.
Anyone looking for further proof need search no further than 13-year-old Dillon Reeves, a student at Carter Middle School in Warren, Michigan, who may well recently have saved the lives of as many as 59 peers.
Now, we all like to think we’d leap into action without hesitation if a crisis situation reared its ugly head – I personally have lost track of the amount of “what if” scenarios I’ve played over in my mind while in the shower – but thinking you’re prepared and ready to do something is one thing, actually doing it when the time comes is another matter entirely.
As per reports, Dillon Reeves was one of 60 children onboard a school bus when the driver passed out at the wheel. Needless to say, disaster could have ensued.
Only, Dillon had other plans…
It seemed a Wednesday like any other. Steve Reeves, Dillon’s father, was at home preparing dinner, waiting for his boy to be dropped off.
Little did he know of the chaotic events unfolding on the school bus due to bring Dillon home.
Dillon’s bus driver had reportedly informed the students she was driving that she would need to pull over as she was feeling lightheaded. Unfortunately, she fell unconscious before she managed to reach the place where she had planned to stop the vehicle.
That left the school bus careering towards traffic. Dillon’s instincts kicked in though, and he ran from the fifth row to the wheel, stepped on the brakes, and tried to put the bus in park. While he was doing so, he even managed to retain the composure to shout for someone to dial 911.
Warren Police and Fire Department were quick on the scene, where, miraculously none of the children were harmed.
But that’s in large part only down to Dillon’s quick thinking. Reportedly, the bus was on course to crash with multiple cars, as well as a house, so who knows what might have happened if Dillon hadn’t stepped up to the plate.
Hailing Dillon as a hero, Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert D. Livernois described the boy’s actions as: “An extraordinary act of courage and maturity.”
Even Dillon’s parents have wondered over just how the young teenager knew what to do after his bus driver fell unconscious. Steve, though, said his son often drives around with him and is always paying attention to what his father does as he operates the car.
Not only that, but Dillon has apparently kept a keen eye out when he’s been on the school bus, too. When mom Irete asked her son how he was able to take control, he said: “I watched her (the bus driver) do it every day.”
“To do something like this fills my heart, makes my heart skip a beat, to even watch that video again. I’m just … I can’t even express the proudness. I’m extremely proud of him,” Irete said.
Steve added: “It’s an honor; we’ve got a little hero.”
The driver of the bus was taken to hospital and received the medical attention she needed. The students on the bus, meanwhile, are reportedly being offered counseling to help them get over the incident.
I don’t know about you, but I think Dillon is a hero worth celebrating! Such quick thinking and courage in the face of adversity. At his age I don’t think I’d ever have been able to react like that. How about you?
Share this article if you also think Dillon deserves all the praise and plaudits coming his way.
