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JAMIE THOMPSONWhen the driver loses consciousness near the top of the bridge, passengers struggle to stop the bus.
The charter bus was near the top of the Sunshine Skyway bridge Wednesday afternoon when it suddenly veered to the right and slammed into the 3-foot concrete wall.
The 61-year-old driver toppled out of his seat and collapsed by the bus doors.
As the bus swerved 197 feet above Tampa Bay, three of the five passengers jumped out of their seats and ran toward the front, fearing they all might pitch over the side of the bridge.
"Grab the wheel!" 70-year-old Kenneth McAllister shouted to his wife and another woman.
The women lurched toward the wheel and held it until McAllister could slide into the driver's seat.
He fought to keep the large bus in its lane as cars whizzed past. His foot slammed the brake, bringing the bus to a stop. It was about 3:55 p.m.
Breathless, shaking, the five passengers stared at each other, unable to speak. The bus driver lay limp by the door.
"It happened so fast," McAllister said from his cell phone aboard an Amtrak train to New York City late Wednesday. "We all felt so lucky to be alive."
None of the passengers was injured, but the driver, Thomas Grove of Pinellas Park, died within hours at Bayfront Medical Center, said Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Larry Coggins. Initial reports suggested Grove may have had a heart attack, authorities said.
The bus is owned by Martz First Class Coach in St. Petersburg but operates for Amtrak, shuttling passengers from Fort Myers to Tampa.
The drama Wednesday began shortly before 4 p.m. as five passengers sat quietly on the bus, hoping to catch a train to New York City.
Three passengers slept, McAllister said, while he and his wife, Mary, talked quietly and looked out the window at the Sunshine Skyway bridge. The Bradenton retirees were heading to see their son and grandchildren in New York.
McAllister first noticed something was wrong as the bus traveled toward the top in the northbound lane. He felt it veer and then heard the bus hit the concrete wall.
His wife, sitting in the aisle seat, quickly ran toward the front, as did another passenger, and McAllister followed, shouting instructions.
"The bus driver's head was down by the door, and we thought maybe he fell asleep and hit his head," Mary McAllister said.
All her husband could think about was grabbing the wheel and finding the brakes, which he finally did.
He slammed them all the way to the floor, and the bus stopped just before the highest part of the Skyway. It took about 20 seconds to stop it, he said.
As the wind whipped the bus, McAllister wasn't sure what to do next. No one knew how to open the doors. And they knew the driver needed help immediately.
With his foot pressed to the brake, McAllister waved to passing cars, trying to get them to stop. Finally, two nurses pulled over, but neither knew how to open the bus doors.
Passengers called 911 and McAllister dialed Amtrak.
"I'm driving one of your buses, I'm on the top of the Skyway, and I don't work for you," McAllister told them. "You better get someone up here, fast!"
After about 10 minutes, the passengers were able to open the doors, and the nurses began performing CPR on the driver.
The passengers stood together in the wind, worrying about the driver, talking about how lucky they were.
"It was very scary, but I think in a time like that, my husband realized he had to do something," Mary McAllister said. "We were all in really big trouble."
To her, it came as no surprise that her husband, a retired IRS agent, acted so swiftly. He's always reading safety material on buses, planes or trains, and acts with a calm head, she said.
Bob Dasch, Martz safety director, said bus driver Grove was an experienced employee who drove buses up north, retired to Florida and then wanted to continue driving.
"He was fantastic with people," Dasch said. "He was an excellent driver and physically fit."
Grove will be missed, said Dasch, who was grateful that none of the passengers were injured.
"They did a wonderful job," he said, "everything they could."
Amtrak sent a station wagon to take the five passengers - including a retired couple from New Jersey and a South Carolina attorney - to the station so they wouldn't miss their train. They squeezed into the wagon with their luggage and talked about the ordeal on the way to the train station.
"It's amazing how all five of us stuck together and we all became sort of like good friends in a very short time," Kenneth McAllister said. "Everybody was thanking everybody, saying "Man, you did a great job.' It was a good feeling."
By nightfall, McAllister and the other passengers were gliding north on their train.
They hoped the rest of their journey would be uneventful.
"That's why I decided to travel this way," he said, chuckling. "I thought it would be safer than flying."
- Times researchers Carolyn Edds and Caryn Baird contributed to this report. Jamie Thompson can be reached at 727 893-8455. Send e-mail to jthompson@sptimes.com