TREASURE ISLAND, Fla., -- A Largo man is being called a hero after jumping aboard an out-of-control PSTA bus Wednesday morning.
The driver was having a medical issue near the intersection of Gulf Boulevard and 107th Avenue on Treasure Island.
“It wasn’t a decision. It was a reaction,” said Michael Hale.
Hale says he was operating on pure instinct and adrenaline as he tried to stop an out-of-control PSTA bus.
The driver, Ervin Jones, was suffering some sort of medical episode.
“I jumped on the bus. I thought I would turn the key off,” said Hale. “Shift it into neutral or park.”
Hale had been following the bus in his own car and saw it driving erratically. And when it stopped, he got out to see what was wrong. But just then, Jones appeared to have some sort of seizure. His leg pressed down on the gas pedal.
“This is all happening in milliseconds,” said Hale. “I had no control. We were accelerating. I couldn’t stop it.”
The bus was now speeding toward a nearby surf shop, plowing over a massive concrete pole.
“We are heading for the parking lot and a big palm tree,” said Hale. “And I grab the steering wheel and struggle that away from him.”
Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the bus accelerating, then jumping the curb and heading into oncoming traffic.
“I was shaking,” said Hale. “I thought, 'This is it. The end.'”
Twenty-four hours later, you could still see the damage where the massive huge concrete pole was standing, and a trail in the roadway where the bus was heading -- right toward the hotels and pedestrians that Hale’s actions saved.
“I mean, this is happening so fast. And I grabbed his leg off, and I think I reached the brake pedal with my hand,” said Hale.
Finally, the bus stopped.
Fortunately, there had been no passengers aboard. And thanks to Hale’s heroics, no one else was hurt.
He’s got some bruised ribs and a cut on his leg. But all things considered, even Hale says, “It’s a miracle.”
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