Boy who steered bus from danger: I feel like a hero

Some of the children jumped off the school bus, but there were no severe injuries.

CLEVELAND (AP) — An 11-year-old said Wednesday he feels like a hero after steering a runaway school bus out of the way of an oncoming semi and into a bridge pillar.

David Murphy said he was worried afterward that he might get in trouble for jumping into the driver’s seat. But police and fire officials reassured him that he did the right thing. So did his classmates.

“Some of them said I saved their life,” David said in a phone interview.

David, who was first interviewed on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” was among 27 pupils headed to The Arts Academy charter school on Monday when the driver stopped to pump $40 of diesel, went into a service station bathroom and left the bus parked and running.

The bus started rolling, and David looked up and saw the semi approaching.

“I hurried up and turned the wheel so I could get out of the truck’s way,” David said.

Other children were screaming and some jumped out of the bus as it rolled about 300 feet. Fifteen were checked later at hospitals, but severe injuries were avoided.

David said after dodging the semi, he aimed for the last pillar on a bridge to avoid going down a steep hill. “There was nothing good down there,” he said.

David’s mother, Patricia, says he told her that God made him do it.

“He didn’t even have time to think. He’s amazing,” she said.

David said one of the reasons he jumped into the driver’s seat was because his brother, Patrick, 12, was on board.

Patrick said he was about to jump off the bus but stayed because he saw his brother steering.

“Yeah, he’s a hero,” Patrick said.

It’s not clear why the bus started to roll, police Lt. Thomas Stacho said. Investigators did not find any mechanical problems, and a gas station employee watching the bus said none of the children appeared to tamper with anything, he said.

The driver, Michael Weir, 57, will be cited for leaving a vehicle unattended with the keys in the ignition and for registration violations, Stacho said Tuesday. A telephone listing for Weir could not be found.

Weir has a valid commercial driver’s license but wasn’t registered with the state as required, police said. His license was suspended for six months in 2006 and was reissued July 16.

Aqua Limo, identified by the fire department as the company owning the bus, issued a statement Tuesday that it does not own the bus involved in the crash, that the school informed Aqua Limo on Friday that its services were no longer needed and that the school hired Weir.

But Head of School Alexis Rainbow said in a news conference that Weir was Aqua Limo’s employee. She said Weir was on his fourth day Monday driving a school route for Aqua Limo, and the school didn’t tell Aqua Limo its services were no longer needed until Monday night, after the mishap.

Highway Patrol Sgt. Craig Cvetan said the state inspected a bus believed to be the one involved in the crash as recently as last August, and no safety violations were noted.

Patricia Murphy said she’s upset her sons were put in a dangerous situation but wanted to focus on her son’s actions.

“I’m so proud of him. He’s my hero,” she said. “I’m so happy that he’s here. I’m truly blessed.”