Passengers stop bus from falling off Sunshine Skyway; driver dies

[Tab]

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Passengers had to stop a charter bus from plunging nearly 200 feet off the Sunshine Skyway bridge after the driver apparently had a fatal heart attack and collapsed.



Thomas Grove, 61, of Pinellas Park, was behind the wheel Wednesday afternoon near the top of the bridge heading toward St. Petersburg when he fell out of his seat, passengers and Florida Highway Patrol officials said.

The bus slammed into the 3-foot concrete wall, which blocks vehicles from tumbling into Tampa Bay. Three of the five passengers jumped out of their seats and ran toward the front.

"Grab the wheel!" 70-year-old Kenneth McAllister recalled shouting to his wife and another woman.

The women held the steering wheel until McAllister could slide into the driver's seat. He fought to keep the bus in its lane and hit the brake. It stopped just before the highest part of the bridge.
http://www.floridatoday.com/topstories/111804apskyway.h...

[DS1]

1. Cooooooooooooooool!

Exciting.

[Eurobabe]

8. Speed 3, Redux in Land of the Hurricanes

[alphafemale]

2. Yikes! That would have been terrifying!

I'm glad a tragedy was avoided.

[fudge stripe cookays]

3. Holy SHIT!

I remember just the part of "Mothman Prophecies" where all those cars tumbled into the water off that bridge.

Imagine being THAT high up and in a bus, where you had no control!

Yikes.
FSC

[katmondoo]

4. I was on that bridge many years ago

before the first collapse, at that time I swore never to go on it again. I had nightmares for years. In my dreams I was always climbing and climbing higher and higher and never to be able to come down. Even today I shiver when I think of that bridge.

[fudge stripe cookays]

5. It was in West Virginia, correct?

What was it called again? It's been a few years since I've seen the movie.

FSC

[Roland99]

7. n.m

[jayfish]

9. It Was Pretty Spooky...

just to see it looming in your intended path. Didn't They rebuilt it to a much lower height after the collapse? It only has 3' guard-rails though.

Jay

[bluesoccermom]

10. what!

that bridge collapsed? We travel on it when we vacation down there. I have a bridge phobia anyway..I didn`t need to hear this.lol

[karlrschneider]

11. The original one was hit by a ship back in ...82? or so...I lived in Tampa

when it happened. The one you drive on now was a replacement built a couple years later...there are parts of the old one left alongside that you can walk on and fish from (unless they've torn it down, I moved away a few years ago)

[DemBones DemBones]

13. Did they build the new one the same height? I can't remember.

Used to live in both St. Pete and Tampa.

[jayfish]

12. Yep, 35 People Plunged To Their Deaths.

Oddly enough, most of them were on a bus.

Jay

[DBoon]

6. "I'd rather die quietly in my sleep like my grandfather..."

".. than screaming in terror like his passengers"

[Roland99]

14. Jack Handy rocks!