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Passenger shares story after taking the wheel when driver of Greyhound bus passes out in Orem

Posted at 5:46 PM, Nov 09, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-10 00:01:47-05

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Everette Elliott was sleeping on a Greyhound bus heading north on I-15 Friday Morning, when he was jolted awake.

“I felt the bus swerving,” said Elliott. “I look up and it was like a video game. He was running cars off the road.”

A few passengers walked up to the bus driver to see if he was okay, but when the driver didn’t respond, Elliott said he went to the front of the bus.

“I’m talking to the bus driver, ‘hey you okay? You okay?’ said Elliot. “He didn’t say nothing. He just drives.”

Driving past a Utah Highway Patrol “cruiser” Elliott said that’s when he shouted at the driver, jolting him awake.

Elliott said the driver steered the bus into the median before slamming on the brakes, coming to a complete stop.

“I grabbed him by both the gloves, put them together and said ‘no’,” said Elliott. “Looked him in the eye and said ‘no, you’re done. No more driving.’”

No more driving for the bus driver, and for the 23 passengers, no major injuries.

“Even the cars that ran into each other on the side, none of them was hurt,” said Elliott.

A statement emailed by Greyhound stated “the driver experienced a medical emergency.”

Utah Highway Patrol said an ambulance took the driver to the hospital, and thanks to Elliott, the incident didn’t turn into anything worse.

“I didn’t want to die and I know they didn’t want to die,” said Elliott. “I just did what I thought anybody else would do.”