‘Supergran’ honoured for steering runaway bus to safety

By KIRSTEN JOHNSON
Published on 24/10/2012 00:51

A “SUPERGRAN” who steered a runaway bus to safety – despite having never held a driving licence – has been honoured for her bravery.

• A grandmother has been honoured for her bravery after steering a runaway bus away from a head-on collision with another vehicle

• Agnes Crystal took control of the bus in Dundee city centre despite never having owned a driving licence

• None of the passengers were seriously hurt in the incident

Great-grandmother Agnes Crystal, 70, was on her way to her line-dancing class in December when she realised the bus she was on in Dundee was starting to roll down the hill towards an oncoming car.

The bus driver had parked by the side of the road and left the engine running while he popped into a convenience store – but had forgotten to apply the handbrake properly.

While a group of teenagers prised open the door of the bus as it gathered pace and jumped to safety, Mrs Crystal, who cannot drive, raced down the aisle and reached into the driver’s compartment to steer the National Express No32 back to the correct lane, where it struck a barrier and came to a halt.

Neither she nor the eight other passengers on board was badly hurt. One person required treatment for a minor injury.

Her actions on 5 December to halt the bus on Princes Street were commended by Tayside Police at the time and now the force has awarded her its Meritorious Conduct Certificate.

Mrs Crystal joined scores of other local heroes at a ceremony in Forfar last night to receive their awards.

A spokesman said: “There is no doubt that Mrs Crystal’s prompt intervention averted a head-on collision from occurring and she put her own safety at risk in order to prevent serious injury to anyone. She is commended for her courageous and selfless actions.”

Mrs Crystal, a shop assistant from Dundee, didn’t wait around after saving the day – immediately hopping on another bus to get to her line-dancing class. At the time, she said: “All I could think of was that, if this bus didn’t stop, there would be a big accident. There’s nothing else I could have done.”

A Crown Office spokesman confirmed the bus driver was given a fiscal warning at Dundee Sheriff Court.

Among others receiving accolades at the ceremony last night was a family who helped save the life of a stab victim. Heather Reid was in Dundee with her daughter Rebekah Reid and father Robert Moffat on 15 June, 2011, when they noticed two men with knife wounds – one potentially fatal – in a city centre car park.

Mr Moffat phoned for an ambulance, while Mrs Reid carried out first aid. She got the most severely-injured man to a sitting position and applied pressure to the wound to stem the flow of blood.

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