Passenger stops bus careering out of control then helps save driver from cardiac arrest

'I said we needed to get him onto flat ground or his heart was going to stop'

Aoife McGivney pulled the driver's foot off the accelerator and performed CPR (independent.ie)

A nurse on her way to work halted a runaway bus and helped save the life of its driver after he suffered a cardiac arrest, it has been reported.

Aoife McGivney, who was on board at the time, acted after seeing the bus had run a red light and its progress down the road was becoming increasingly haphazard.

After it crashed into a cyclist she moved towards the driver and found him unconscious, she told The Irish Times.

By pulling his foot off the accelerator, she was eventually able to bring the bus to a stop.

Ms McGivney, of Dublin, told the paper: “We could feel the bus going over the bike. We thought there was someone under the bus so everyone started screaming.

“I said we needed to get the driver onto flat ground or his heart was going to stop.

“We got him outside the bus and into the recovery position but then I found he had stopped breathing and gone into cardiac arrest. I started CPR and asked people to call an ambulance.”

A passer-by and a police officer helped administer CPR before paramedics arrived, the Mater Hospital nurse added.

Authorities said the driver was “recovering well” following the incident on Monday.

The Times reported that the cyclist suffered only minor injuries.