Passenger that helped stop out-of-control Seattle Metro bus hailed a hero
Man hailed as hero for stopping Seattle Metro bus crash
Ernie Makinson is being hailed as a hero for stopping a King County Metro bus as the driver crashed into vehicles while suffering a medical emergency.
SEATTLE - A man who bravely stopped an out-of-control King County Metro bus last week is being called a hero.
The driver had a medical emergency before the bus smashed into multiple cars, leaving a path of destruction behind.
The bus was careening out of control in the Greenwood neighborhood when Ernie Makinson jumped in to stop it.
The backstory:
"I was going to the senior center up on 85th, and we start banging into cars," Makinson said. "I got tossed to the left, tossed to the right, off my feet."
Ernie says the driver had a medical emergency and was staring ahead, unblinking as the bus lurched into vehicles.
"There was no reaction," said Makinson.
Metro bus driver suffers medical emergency, crashes into several cars in Seattle
A Seattle Metro bus driver suffered a medical emergency Wednesday and hit several cars in Greenwood near North 80th Street.
As other riders screamed, he ran to the front and grabbed the wheel.
"I was steering with one hand and pounding on his chest with the other hand, like that, really hard," said Makinson.
When the driver didn't respond, he moved him out of the way and pulled the air brake.
"I unbuckled him and I pulled him off the seat," said Ernie. "I hit something, and my shoulder and my head went through what was left of the front window, and I lost my choppers and my dentures and my glasses got broken," said Ernie.
As for the bus driver, he eventually came to.
"When he hit the ground, he raised up like this and took a deep breath," said Ernie.
Now, this impromptu hero needs a little help of his own. He says the money he had saved for rent was taken by a likely thief, who went through his backpack while he was stopping the bus. He says a witness reported seeing a man going through his things.
"I was in the front of my bus and when I hobbled back to the back, my backpack was opened," said Ernie.
For now, Ernie says the Salvation Army has given him a place to stay at the William Booth Center, and he says he's grateful for an officer who showed him how to set up a Cash App account where he can accept donations to get back on his feet.
That account for donations can be found under the name $MakinsonMakinson on Cash App.
Ernie says he's most thankful that the other passengers, including women and children on the bus, weren't injured.
"I’m glad they didn’t get hurt. That’s a relief. I’d rather get hurt than see them get hurt," said Ernie.
What they're saying:
Metro has said they're grateful that Ernie helped to bring the bus to a stop and said SPD is investigating the incident.
A spokesperson also added that their thoughts were with the transit operator in their recovery.
We did reach out for updates on the situation from Metro on Monday evening. They sent the following statement:
"We continue to be grateful to Ernie, whose heroic action in stepping in to stop the bus prevented further tragedy. We care deeply about our riders and our transit operators and are doing what we can to support their recovery. We’re relieved that our transit operator is in stable condition and recovering.
"We spoke to Ernie last Friday evening to express our gratitude and also have connected him to the team that handles damage and injury claims at King County. We shared this information with him and his attorney.
"Once King County has received his claim form, the process can begin. We’re standing by waiting for details and information. We have options for him, but we need a claim form to make sure we understand the extent of what Ernie needs.
"The bus that was damaged in this incident is parked and awaiting repairs. We don’t yet have a damage cost estimate.
"Again, we appreciate that Ernie stepped in to stop the bus when our operator suffered a medical emergency. We look forward to addressing his needs and supporting his recovery."
"Jeff Switzer, Metro spokesperson"
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The Source: Information in this story came from King County Metro and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.