KEY POINTS

  • The group was returning from a picnic when the incident happened
  • The driver writhed in pain after suffering from a sudden seizure 
  • It would have taken two hours for help to arrive as they were in a remote spot

A 41-year-old woman in India is being hailed a hero for driving a bus full of children to safety after the driver suffered a seizure.

Despite having never driven a bus before, 41-year-old Yogita Satav took to the wheels, and drove the man safely to a nearby hospital.

A group of 32 women and children, including Satav, was on its way back from a weekend picnic spot in the city of Pune on Jan 7 when the incident happened, reported The Times of India.

Satav, a mother of two, said the driver was the only male member in the group. "We had traveled for half an hour when the driver suddenly said he wasn’t feeling well. The following moments were all the scarier when the driver said that his vision was getting blurry," Satav told the news outlet.

Though the driver tried to pull over and rest for some time, he immediately collapsed, screaming in agony and pain.

"But as he was getting down from the driver’s seat, he collapsed and suffered a seizure. He was screaming in pain. By the time we managed to pick the driver up and make him sit, many women and children were weeping," she added.

Even though they immediately contacted officials for medical support, they realized it would take at least two hours for the team to arrive, as they were stranded in an isolated spot in the interiors of the country.

It was then that Satav decided to take the wheels. "I have never driven a bus before but decided to take to the wheels as the driver needed to be hospitalized. My friends were confused and warned me about driving but I had made up my mind. I quickly went through the gears trying to understand them as driving a car and bus were two different things," she told The Times of India.

She drove 25 kilometers without any hitch to the nearest hospital. By then, another vehicle had rushed to them to pick up the women back home.

Now, being praised for her heroic deed, Satav said she is glad to have saved the man's life. “I feel learning to drive was the best thing I had done, as it saved a man's life."

A video of the incident has since gone viral on Twitter and she is flooded with praise.

"Salute to the brave lady," one user wrote. Another commented: "When you need to rise up on an occasion and you gracefully do."

Wheels
Representation. Pixabay
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