Chinese bus driver hailed a hero after putting passenger safety ahead of his own life
Commuters salute 42-year-old who likely suffered fatal heart attack while at the wheel
A Chinese bus driver in Shanghai died from a suspected heart attack last week just minutes after bringing his vehicle to a safe halt at the side of the road, Thepaper.cn reported on Wednesday.
Xie Shihai, 42, was in charge of the No. 177 bus en route to South Ferry with 10 passengers on board on June 8 when he appeared to fall ill, the report said, citing video footage of the event.
Despite his dire situation, Xie managed to avert disaster by pulling the bus over about 100m from his next scheduled stop.
The video later shows him lying on the floor of the vehicle as a passenger gives him CPR, though the exact sequence of events is not clear.
Passengers called the emergency services, but although Xie was still alive when the paramedics arrived they were unable to save him.
According to the report, Xie’s foot was still on the brake pedal when passengers went to his aid and tried to pull him from the driver’s seat.
“He should be respected, and we all appreciate what he has done. He was so dedicated,” an unnamed passenger was quoted as saying.
Xie had worked for Shangnan Bus Company since 2010, the report said, citing his employer. The company employs 2,000 drivers, all of whom are, since the start of this year, required to have annual health checks. Before that drivers were required to have check-ups every two years.
The report did not say if Xie had a history of poor health.
