Only thanks to Mrs. Agnieszka’s instant reaction, the cyclist who fell onto the road is safe. The bus driver passed him. As she says, she noticed a little earlier that she was dangerously approaching the curb. “I said to myself: only a man, fall over on the pavement,” she says.
A dangerous situation involving a cyclist and a city bus in Aleja Niepodległości in Częstochowa occurred in the second half of February. On Wednesday (March 1), the Municipal Transport Company published a recording from the bus’s external camera.
Behind the wheel sat Agnieszka Pęczak, who has over 30 years of experience as a driver. As she admits, she could see from a distance that something was wrong with this cyclist. He drove closer and closer to the curb and closer to the road. It was already disturbing to me. In my head, I said to myself: only a man, fall on the pavement, not on the road.
“I already knew I couldn’t stop”
But the cyclist fell onto the street. – I already knew that I was not able to slow down – admits Agnieszka. She also knew that if she slowed down, the truck coming from the opposite direction would have time to reach the height of the bus and would not be able to turn into the left lane. “So I just decided to do this maneuver,” he says.
Immediately after the accident, she stopped the bus, saw if everything was fine with the passengers. – When I stopped and stopped the bus, a passenger ran up to me and said “damn, you had reflexes”. Then all the emotions came out – says Agnieszka.
The cyclist left before she could get to him
The truck driver also approached the bus to ask why she had made such a maneuver. When she managed to explain to him that she was avoiding the lying cyclist, she saw in the mirror how the driver of the two-wheeler got on the bike and moved away from the scene.
– It was amazing, because I wanted to approach and ask if he was okay – says Mrs. Agnieszka.
Agnieszka has been driving buses for five years, out of passion. – My dad was a professional driver and I had his passion for the wheel. We just like it,” he admits.
The behavior of the bus driver is praised by her superiors. – Only the immediate, automatic maneuver of Mrs. Agnieszka saved the cyclist’s life. If it wasn’t for that, he might not be with us today, and never go this way again – says Maciej Hasik from the Municipal Transport Company in Częstochowa.
Main photo source: MPK in Częstochowa