Heart Pounding to Happy Ending

In a remarkable display of heroism and quick thinking, another METRO Bus Operator has emerged as a real-life hero, saving a four-year-old girl who wandered into the middle of traffic.

Bus Operator Vincent White was on his busy 82 Westheimer route when he saw the child standing in the middle of the road. The sight sent a chill down his spine.

“Westheimer is interesting because most cars are traveling at a high rate of speed on it,” said White. It’s difficult for an adult to cross that street, let alone a child.”

Without a moment's hesitation, White instinctively stopped and got off his bus, racing towards the child who had, by that point, ventured across four lanes. As he rushed to reach her, however, he was struck by the side mirror of an oncoming car.

The driver did not stop, but White says the accident created an unexpected opportunity.

"The moment I got hit, traffic came to a halt,” White recalled. “There happened to be a fire truck in an adjacent lane, and as soon as the fireman driving the truck saw me get hit, he activated his sirens, and everything stopped. Another driver quickly realized what I was trying to accomplish and jumped in to help."

White later learned the little girl had wandered away from her family while they were shopping at a nearby store. Her frantic parents arrived at the scene just as their daughter was rescued.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, the child's mother knelt before White, tears of relief streaming down her face as she expressed her heartfelt appreciation. White humbly told her he was not a hero, attributing his actions and the outcome to a higher power. White insisted that he was just doing his job.

METRO Superintendent Patricia Samarripa at the West Bus Operating Facility said White is a superhero in her book.

"I spoke to him shortly after the incident, and his humility and selflessness were truly inspiring," she shared. "He wouldn’t take credit for himself, insisting that anyone in his position would have done the same. While I cannot say for certain how many would risk their lives in the way he did, his actions speak volumes."

White needed stitches for a cut on his arm, but is thankful he was “guided to be at the right place, at the right time.”