On a FlixBus from Paris to Brussels, a Belgian passenger managed to prevent a serious accident on the E19 motorway near Mons by taking over the wheel after the bus driver suddenly became unwell – saving some 50 people.
While travelling to the Belgian capital, the FlixBus suddenly started swerving on the motorway. It had bumped into the guardrail and was drifting towards the central reservation when Ward Van Roy took over the wheel.
"When I noticed something was wrong I immediately jumped up and went to the bus driver," Van Roy explained on Flemish radio. "At first I thought he had fallen asleep, so I wanted to wake him up. But when I saw the driver, I knew something was seriously wrong. He was looking straight ahead but was unresponsive."
Van Roy then tried to reach the pedals with his foot and pushed the driver's legs out of the way before being able to brake and get the bus onto the hard shoulder, where he managed to safely bring it to a standstill.
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"The other passengers were in shock," he said. "They were screaming or they were completely frozen. Of course, I am not used to driving a bus either. When I pushed on the brakes, everyone started screaming even more. I braked quite hard, apparently."
A doctor on the bus provided first aid to the driver. "He was taken to the hospital. I later learned that he had a stroke and needed surgery. We all hope he can recover."
Another driver arrived on site and took the travellers to their final destination in Brussels.
