Quick thinking bus driver becomes unexpected hero 

He may not have been the caped crusader, but bus driver Keith Anderson became an inadvertent and unlikely hero recently when he was driving the Marley coaches Local Link bus from Kilcar to Donegal Town.

His quick thinking and calmness as one his passengers, Stephen Byrne from Bavin in Kilcar, took ill, was crucial in Stephen receiving immediate assistance from a local ambulance crew, who then brought the casualty on an emergency trip to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, in just 45 minutes. 

The insertion of at least one stent in his heart quickly followed and these combinations of factors, now see the passenger, who was just a few days off his 41st birthday, on the mend.  

It is a life saving story that has become increasingly important in the lives of the people throughout the county, for which families are more grateful than words can ever describe.  

Meanwhile, Keith from Ballybofey, who will celebrate his 30th wedding anniversary this Sunday with wife Katriona, was not even meant to be on the shift at the time of the near tragedy.

But what happened next, led to a series of good chances, quick responses and ultimately timing which led invariably to the saving of the Kilcar passenger’s life.   

While driving buses and lorries for many years, he has been driving buses for about 15 years. 

Stephen (left) get the opportunity to thank Keith in person (Photo thanks to killybegsonline.org)

Keith told donegallive.ie: “It was a Wednesday. I recall the day as I never work the early mornings on a Wednesday. I swapped with the other driver. That is how I was driving the bus that Stephen was on.    

“We were going from Kilcar to Donegal Town. I stopped to let a passenger out at SuperValu in Killybegs. Stephen came up to me and said he was feeling unwell. The first thing I thought was that it might be motion sickness. He was crouched over a bit and upon observing him further and from life’s experiences, I asked him about his chest. He said that he had wild pains in his chest, so we took him down off the bus.

“I asked if I was able to ring 999 at the same time and they were in my ear all the time and they told me that the ambulance was just a few minutes away, which was amazing. 

“Stephen was requesting  to get a drink but the operator told me not to give him anything to drink or eat, in case he got sick.     

“Stephen’s luck was that there was also an ambulance at the Commons in Killybegs with two paramedics, which operates, as far as I know, on a part time basis. 

“He was not meant to go that day. Even a change of shift on my part played a role, but I am so very thankful it ended well for Stephen and I might include the small factor that we have a great local bus link service which operates between Glencolmcille and Donegal Town.” 

He added that many different people and agencies had helped in saving Stephen and his contribution was just a very small, but humbling role. 

Eternally grateful to everyone

Stephen himself, who is a native of Kilcar but now based on the east coast realised something out of the ordinary was up as he is trained as a cardiac first responder himself as he made his way up to the bus driver. 

And on the particular day of the year, June 21, it was to end up most eventful, which ultimately culminated in his life being saved.    

He told donegallive.ie: “I want to thank most sincerely everyone who came to my assistance on the day, from Keith the bus driver, to the helpful passengers on the bus, the ambulance crew who were in Killybegs and those gardai who ensured that my journey was kept at a minimum of time. Words are not enough.

“I cannot speak highly enough of the staff at Altnagelvin and also Letterkenny, who were just magnificent. The one thing that I want to highlight is the great work that they do on a daily basis and for people to recognise if they themselves are in trouble, or if someone else sees somebody in similar distress.”

It was juxtaposed between his sister’s wedding and his birthday, he recalled.

“Something wasn’t right and by the time I got to Killybegs I approached the bus driver. I had a friend on the bus as well, and the next thing was that an ambulance was there in a matter of minutes. I just got worse and worse.

“They took care of me and then it was 45 minutes you to Derry, a stent or two in, the blockage cleared and then I was brought back to Letterkenny.”      

Stephen later learned that he was already suffering aortic defibrillation while on the bus, and the heart attack was in full danger mode as he entered the ambulance. 

The fact that the part time ambulance was in Killybegs at the time “was the luck of the draw” or else they would have had to come from Donegal Town which could have made a huge difference, where minutes, if not seconds, can be the difference between outcomes in such situations.  

The good news is that Stephen is now well on the road to recovery and he says he feels no ill effects following his recent experience. 

New horizons and a new job in September await him in September, which will involve him helping people, as he has always done throughout his professional career. 

On this occasion a few Wednesdays back, Stephen received the same karma back that he has so often bestowed on others . . .