Bus Driver Spots Toddler Running on Freeway Overpass in Freezing Temps, Chases After Him
Being brave doesn’t necessarily require a dramatic rescue or sacrifice. It doesn’t have to involve physical prowess at all.
As far as I’m concerned, bravery simply requires doing the right thing no matter your emotional state.
If you step up to the proverbial plate even when your fear flies at your face like a 100 mph fastball, then you’re brave. And brave is exactly how I would describe Milwaukee County Transit System bus driver Irena Ivic.
It was Dec. 22, a mere three days until Christmas, when the incident occurred. Ivic was doing what she did most mornings: driving her route.
CBS News reported that she saw something shocking as her bus was about to cross a freeway overpass. Out on the sidewalk in freezing weather with barely any clothing on and no shoes was a toddler.
It was 8 a.m., rush hour time, and there was a child without any adult supervision or proper clothing. I can only imagine how Ivic’s pulse spiked and her breathing quickened.
Surveillance footage released by the MCTS showed the toddler simply bobbling along, his little feet merrily slapping against the concrete. However, there weren’t any adults in sight.
There wasn’t any sort of railing between him and the street either. That meant he could stroll out into traffic at any point in time.
When the little boy got to the crosswalk, he seemed confused. His head swiveled about, and he tentatively veered to his right down another street.
That was when Ivic acted. She stopped the bus, threw it into park and vaulted out into the street.
She proceeded to scoop him up and bring him back to the bus, where she snuggled him on her lap.
“No!” one of the passengers exclaimed as she boarded. Ivic replied, “I’m shaking.”
“Oh, I am too!” the passenger answered. Another passenger offered up her coat, and Ivic bundled the boy in it as she called emergency services.
By the time they arrived, the toddler had curled himself into a ball on Ivic’s lap and had fallen fast asleep. Authorities would later learn that the little boy’s mother had simply left him outside.
The police were able to safely reunite him with his dad. This isn’t the only time such an event has transpired.
MCTS says that their drivers and staff have recently recovered eight other lost and missing children. No matter the sad circumstances, at least one good thing has happened: These kids have been well cared for by public employees.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
