Bus Driver Hailed Hero After Helping 92-Year-Old Man Suffering in 105-Degree Heat
In the sweltering Las Vegas summer heat, bus driver Mike Blair knows to be vigilant in looking out for people’s health.
Dehydration and heat stroke can quickly sneak up on a person, particularly the very young and the very old.
It was a blistering hot August day in the desert when Blair noticed an elderly man waiting alone at a bus stop. The man appeared distressed, supporting himself against a wall.
When the man did not board the bus, Blair became concerned for the man’s safety.
Since confusion and disorientation can be signs of dehydration, Blair took it upon himself to escort the man onto his bus.
He helped the man get settled in front of the air conditioner to cool off. “It had to be smoking hot out there,” Blair said.
.@groupekeolis honoring the @RTCSNV bus driver who helped a dehydrated elderly man. He gave him a cold water from his own lunch box! pic.twitter.com/wH7TbeywRC
— Tiana Bohner (@FOX5_Tiana) August 1, 2018
Then, Blair remembered he’d packed a water bottle for himself in his lunchbox. He offered the water to the man, who accepted.
After resting for 10 minutes or so, the man began to feel better. Blair suggested the man stay on the bus for a while longer to cool off, but the man insisted that he was fine.
“He got off the bus and said ‘thank you,”’ Blair said. “As he got off he said, ‘I’m 92 years old.’ Simply amazing.”
Blair had no idea that a passenger had witnessed the entire event and snapped a photo.
Passenger Brent Leabu shared the heartwarming story online, and it wasn’t long before the story began to gain nationwide attention.
Blair joked that he’s not very savvy on social media, and had no idea about his newfound fame until his employer, Keolis Transit, told him.
“I guess I have to learn how to do Twitter, huh?” Blair laughed.
Blair’s company threw him a small thank-you party the next day, full of cake, balloons and a gift.
Keolis also pledged to place 10,000 bottles of water in the hands of bus drivers to hand out to their passengers this summer.
“We are all brothers and sisters,” said Blair, who doesn’t think he did anything out of the ordinary. “I think anyone would’ve done that.”
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