Stewart O’Leary said he plans on keeping the metal piece as a reminder.
A bus driver is opening up about being hit by a piece of flying metal while on duty.
Stewart O’Leary, a bus driver from Washington state, was struck by flying metal while driving a school bus at over 60 mph on Interstate 405 last Friday. At the time, he was transporting a high school girls’ basketball team to their game.
“I’m glad it was me and not any of my passengers,” O’Leary shared with Seattle ABC affiliate KOMO.
“I kept the girls safe. That’s the job of a bus driver – to transport students safely – and I did that,” he added.
The piece of metal shattered the bus’ windshield before striking O’Leary in the chest. In a video shared by the Northshore School District, O’Leary is seen shouting, “Oh, God!” as the metal hits him.
Despite the sudden pain, O’Leary remained calm behind the wheel. Two of the team’s coaches quickly rushed over to help after hearing him yell.
“As soon as I heard the screams, I looked up to check on the driver,” recalled Coach Chris Pinder of North Creek High School’s girls’ junior varsity basketball team.
In the video, Pinder is heard telling O’Leary, “OK, hit the brakes, hit the brakes. Get the flashers on and hit the brakes.”
Coach Calvin McHenry, the head basketball coach, also sprang into action.
“I grabbed the wheel because he was holding his chest, his heart a little bit,” McHenry said.
While Pinder called 911, requesting both “fire and medical” services, O’Leary managed to pull the bus over to the shoulder of the highway.
Once emergency medical services arrived, O’Leary was taken to a local hospital where he was treated for a serious bruise to his chest and cuts from flying glass shards that struck his face.
