Zhangjiajie Driver Gave His All to Brake Before Losing Consciousness; Tourists Unharmed, He Passed Away 3 Days Later

A tour bus carrying 11 Korean tourists and a guide suddenly stopped on the road late last month. The 41-year-old driver, Xiao Bo, fell into a coma due to cerebral hemorrhage, but used the last of his strength to safely stop the vehicle by the roadside, saving everyone onboard. Xiao Bo, unfortunately, passed away after three days of emergency treatment.

On July 7, the head of the Asia-Pacific Market Department of Zhangjiajie Everbright International Travel Agency, entrusted by the overseas tourists, delivered a banner embroidered with the words, "Though the uniform is laid aside, the will remains; at the moment of life and death, bravely saving foreign guests; military spirit in the bones, heart as steadfast as a rock; in times of crisis, willingly offering protection," to Zhangjiajie Jiangyong Transport Co., Ltd.

Back to the night of June 29, 11 Korean tourists and their tour guide Jin Guangri were returning by coach from the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture to Zhangjiajie. The bus's dashcam footage shows that at 9:13 pm, when the vehicle was traveling on the Zhangnan Expressway, west to east at the 48km+500m mark, the accident suddenly occurred.

"The bus suddenly veered right towards the bridge, then swayed left," the guide Jin Guangri recalls, still shaken by the memory. "At first, I thought the driver was avoiding wild animals, so I called out 'Sir, what's wrong' several times, but got no response, and the bus started swerving."

The in-bus CCTV recorded that Xiao Bo's facial expression became odd while driving, his right hand involuntarily lifted several times yet would not obey commands. The guide stood up, alert, and called loudly to warn Xiao Bo. Just before completely losing consciousness, Xiao Bo, with sheer willpower, completed key actions such as turning off the engine and pulling the handbrake before passing out.

In the end, the vehicle came to a steady stop on the expressway, with all 13 people onboard — 11 Korean tourists, the guide, and Xiao Bo himself — completely unharmed. Reportedly, the incident took place atop a several dozen meter high expressway bridge; had Xiao Bo not handled the emergency correctly, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

While Xiao Bo was hospitalized, an official from the Municipal Transportation Bureau visited and expressed condolences to the family. After three days of all-out effort to save him, Xiao Bo passed away due to brainstem hemorrhage, his life forever halted at 41.

"When I got the hospital call at 10 pm, I just couldn't believe it. By the time I got there, he was already on the operating table," Xiao Bo's younger brother Xiao Ying said with red eyes. In his eyes, his brother, as a retired soldier, had virtues deeply ingrained in his character. "The elders always praised him, saying he was upright, honest, and never hesitated at key moments."

Zhangjiajie Nanfang Group General Manager Su Zhijun said: "Xiao Bo demonstrated the spirit of a soldier through his actions while upholding the bottom line of a professional driver."