Bus Driver Helps Save Woman Ready To Jump Off Bridge

Darnell Barton was driving a bus full of passengers, including high school students, when he saw something that made him hit the brakes.

A young woman had climbed over the guardrail of a Buffalo bridge and was leaning over the Scajaquada Expressway below.

In an instant, Barton pulled the bus to the side of the road and asked if she needed help. At that moment, he found himself torn between the rules of his job, which required him to notify dispatch, and his instincts from his training as a former volunteer firefighter and member of the Buffalo Special Police, which taught him that once you make contact with someone in crisis, you don’t break it.

He radioed dispatch and said, “Send the authorities; this young lady needs help.” Then he stepped off the bus. As the woman stared down at the traffic below, Barton slowly walked toward her. When he reached her, he gently wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug and asked if she wanted to come back over the railing. She quietly answered, “Yes.”

Barton carefully guided her back to safety, sat beside her, and stayed with her, talking and asking her name until police and emergency responders arrived.

When he climbed back onto the bus, his passengers erupted into applause, giving him a standing ovation for what they had just witnessed.

The rescue took place on October 18, 2013. Ten years later, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority honored Barton once again, recognizing the courage and compassion that saved a woman’s life.

Barton never expected that day’s route would bring him face-to-face with someone in her darkest moment. He only knew that driving past was never an option.