Bus Driver Struck by Flying Metal Bar While Transporting High School Basketball Team
BELLEVUE, Wash. – A school bus driver experienced a terrifying moment when a piece of metal flew through his windshield and hit him in the chest while driving a high school girls’ basketball team to a game.
Veteran bus driver Stewart O’Leary was en route from Bothell to Snoqualmie on February 7, transporting the North Creek High School girls’ basketball team to a game at Mount Si. As he drove along Interstate 405 near Bellevue at approximately 60 miles per hour, a metal bar suddenly crashed through his windshield, striking him directly in the chest.
“It came in at about 60 miles per hour,” O’Leary recalled, describing the impact.
The incident left him with immediate pain, bleeding from glass shards, and a bruise from the impact. Despite his injuries, O’Leary maintained control of the bus, and two coaches onboard quickly stepped in to help ensure the team’s safety. They assisted him in safely bringing the bus to a stop and securing the passengers.
One of the coaches picked up the metal bar and placed it on the dashboard. O’Leary, despite the shock of the moment, insisted on keeping the object as a reminder of the incident. He even managed to snap a photo of the stopped bus before Bellevue firefighters arrived to assist him.
Emergency responders evaluated O’Leary at the scene. Although he sustained a bruise and a hematoma, medical assessments confirmed that he had no broken bones or serious injuries. He was transported for further evaluation but was ultimately cleared for work within days.
Remarkably, O’Leary wasted no time in returning to his job. “I said, ‘Put me in, coach!’” he stated. His commitment to ensuring student safety remained unwavering.
“If I had reservations about my abilities, I wouldn’t do this,” he added. “My directive is to transport kids safely, and I didn’t want to violate that.”
His resilience and quick thinking during the frightening incident were praised by both school officials and emergency responders. Fortunately, no students or other passengers were injured in the incident.
