Heroic Bus Driver Stops To Save Man’s Life - Then Apologises To Passengers For Delay

A bus driver pulled over to save the life of a man having a heart attack before continuing his route and apologising to passengers for the delay.

Heroic Barry Smith, 36, was behind the wheel of his number 223 bus in Plymouth, Devon when he saw a 60-year-old man lying on the ground with a woman above him.

He pulled his bus over, telephoned 999 and started giving the man, who was having a heart attack, CPR on the side of the road.

He spent several minutes with the man before paramedics arrived, then returned to his bus and continued to the next stop - apologising to his passengers for his late arrival.

Mr Smith, a former IT director in Winchester, said: “I went to make sure the woman and man were alright.

“He’d had a bang to his head as he’d fallen and then me and another gentleman started CPR.

“There was no passengers on my bus, but people had begun to come over after I parked up.

“I’m a trained first aider.

“I’d initially made the phone call to the ambulance service then handed the phone over to the man’s wife to get her to direct the paramedics - I don’t actually know the area that well.

“I had passengers waiting for me down at St Budeaux Square so once the paramedics took over, I just carried on my route.

“I was a little bit late and had to explain to them why I was delayed, but they are my regular passengers and they were fine about it.”

Mr Smith, who has been a bus driver for four years, only took over the 223 route for Country Bus a few weeks ago.

The South Western Ambulance Service were on the scene within four minutes of his emergency call at about 3pm on June 1.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said a 60-year-old man had collapsed and was not conscious and not breathing and that CPR was carried out by bystanders.

A police spokesman said: “Officers were later told by a paramedic who worked on the man that the people who initially gave CPR probably saved his life.”

Ali Ellison, Country Bus managing director, said: “We only found out what happened when Barry called up and said he was going to be a bit late as he’d had to call an ambulance and was giving CPR.

“It’s amazing how he kept his head together. We’re quite proud of him.”

(Pictures: SWNS)