Man stops runaway school bus after driver seizure

A 27-year-old man stopped a runaway school bus full of children when the driver suffered a medical emergency, citing a Qu'ran verse about saving lives. Ebro Ahmed halted the vehicle by pulling the emergency brake on Monday afternoon in Saint Paul, Minnesota, after noticing the driver foaming at the mouth, a symptom of a seizure.

Surveillance video captured by his family’s convenience store showed Ahmed sprinting to the bus, leaping through the open door, and tossing his phone and glasses to two girls to free his hands. With frightened students screaming, he pulled the brake, bringing the bus to a safe stop without anyone being injured. The National Safety Council estimates that about 20.3 million children ride US school buses daily, making quick-thinking bystanders crucial during driver emergencies.

Ahmed credited the medical TV drama Grey's Anatomy with teaching him what to do in situations he could never see himself in. He also recalled the Qu'ran verse declaring that whoever saves a life is as if they saved all of humanity, which influenced his decision to intervene.

Ahmed’s parents are immigrants from Eritrea, and he runs Ya Bricks Snacks and Tobacco in Saint Paul. He noted that federal immigration agents in Minneapolis and Saint Paul during the Trump administration's Operation Metro campaign had made running the store difficult. Despite this hardship, he expressed relief at the opportunity to represent Eritreans and east Africans positively.

A local marketing and media company donated $1,000 to Ahmed as a token of appreciation, which involved a Superman performer and a novelty check. Ahmed received congratulations from a city council member and an uncle in Europe, and said his story trended among Eritrean circles, bringing him a sense of pride.

Source: The Guardian.