Bus driver rescues toddler sitting alone in field
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EAST ST. LOUIS (KMOV) — A MetroBus driver is being honored for his heroic actions Wednesday.
Bus driver Nick was driving along his route in East St. Louis when he spotted a toddler sitting in alone in a field near a gated subdivision. Feeling uneasy, he pumped the brakes and ran over to the young boy.
“He asked the boy if he wanted to ride with him and the child smiled,” a spokesperson from Metro wrote describing the pair’s interaction. Nick then wrapped his coat around the boy before alerting the company’s dispatch team who called the St. Clair’s County Sheriff’s Office.
While he waited for police to get there, Nick made sure the boy was comfortable by giving him bottled water and chips he packed for his lunch later. The responding deputy placed the child in his squad car and wrapped him with a blanket.
“It was heart breaking to see that child all alone. I have a daughter who is a little bit older than this child. The bus is a safe haven,” said Nick. “I am not a hero. I was just doing what I thought was the right thing to do.”
He has been with Metro Transit for five years and enjoys driving the bus along the Illinois routes near the Mississippi River.
“Each day is a new beginning and it’s a great experience. You get to meet different people and enjoy the weather, even the snow. It can’t get any better than that,” he said.
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