Buffalo Bus Driver Hailed As Hero
In today's edition of the "Good Stuff," a Buffalo, New York, bus driver talks a woman off a bridge. CNN's Pamela Brown reports.
Surveillance video shows a woman who appears to be on the brink of suicide standing outside the railing on a narrow ledge over a highway when bus driver Darnell Barton pulled his bus full of passengers over and attempted to communicate with the woman.
When she didn't respond, he walked over and put his arm around her, gently coaxing the woman off the bridge and helping her to safety.
When Barton returned to his bus, a well deserved round of applause erupted.
He says he believes he was driving by at that moment for a reason.
"I feel like I did what I was supposed to do at the time. I'm a football guy so when you sit the bench and the coach calls your number, you gotta go in there, make a play, do what the play calls for, and I think that's what I did."
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MAy god give you the best health..so that you just be the way you are....
Darnell, You are an angel. May the good Lord bless you with good health, love and joy this year for allowing Him to use you on this day. You inspire me and countless others to be a better person. Thank you!
Thanks you, Darnell. Truly an inspiration! Greetings from Sweden
I just wanted to thank you all for your words of love and kindness to my Son,Darnell. Im so proud to be his Mother.Thank you CNN for airing the story.
wow, definitely a hero..good job sir..
there is good in people.
good job outta THAT guy! I hope she gets the help she needs...
Congrats and Kudos to Darnell, not too many people in Buffalo are caring and courageous like Darnell, Great to know Buffalo still as warm hearts!!!!!
Truly a hero.
Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement. Our family appreciates it more than you could ever know...Proud wife over here 🙂
Good morning, Patrina,
We're all so happy there are people like Darrell in the world. CNN is very honored to have shared his story with others. What an amazing human being!
Happy New Day!
Warmly,
Lola
CNN Viewer Comms
Mrs. Barton, your husband is truly a hero. I hope his simple act of "do unto others" and going in to make the play when The Coach (I mean the Big Guy Upstairs) put him in will resonate to people all of the world and remind others to do the same if and when others are in need.
You have every reason to be proud of Darnell. Give him a hug, buy him a coffee from me, please.
Steve in Chicago
God bless you....you were that lady's guardian angel for that brief moment.
Mr Darnell Barton what an inspiration you are & a wonderfully caring, compassionate man. Just know that by doing what you did for this woman, you have become a hero & restoring my faith that there are still amazing human beings on this planet & the example you set for all those young people on the bus who were privileged to witness your generosity of spirt, goodwill & humanity for this lady. I live in Australia & I wanted to say "thank you". I have a great nephew who is 3yrs old – Darnell Cecil Harrigan Fisher & I hope that with the same name as you, that as he grows up he turns out to be of the same good character as you – God bless you !!
Well done Bro, May almighty God grant your heart desire!!
A lot of people say other people dont care but they do. They say there is so much evil in the world but I say there is a lot of good people in the world also and this proves it.
Someone give this guy a medal and a trip to Vegas please, I'll buy him the plane tickets! Where can I find this awsome man??
How incredible is this!! I know Darnell, we went to college together here in Buffalo. This just made my night. I work in the Mayor's office here in Buffalo and I am going to make sure that the city recognizes him for his heroic actions! #iHeartBuffalo
If you're serious about suicide, you don't do it in public view.
For me, it will be carbon monoxide in my second bathroom, farthest away from my four parakeet companions to ensure their safety, with two doors closed between us, and proper negative pressure ventilation. It will involve removal of any carbon monoxide alarms. It will involve sending postcards to four police agencies, the night of the procedure, to ensure that after it is complete, that my birds are properly taken care of, and have a happy life. It will involve making proper arrangements for my dead body, which will be donated to the UCI medical school for medical students to use, as they will. There is to be no funeral, and no prayers. There is to be no memory of my existence.
Oh, and if anybody ever gets in my way, you're coming with me, baby! You're coming with me.
Shame on you Peter for placing such low value on your life. There are people in this world that have it tough but persevere. Suicide is a cowards way out. I have a brother in law that is dying of liver cancer and leaving behind people that love him so much. People speak of a God that is kind and merciful and yet there is this kind of injustice that people like you value your life so little that you could end it in the blink of an eye and yet He watches as a cherished man struggles to keep his life. People like you make me angry. You are not the only one in this world that suffers, that hurts. My life has been filled with alot of anguish, terror, abuse in my life and that of some members of my family and yet we go on and set an example that life can be what you make it. Hopefully, this merciful God will trade your life for someone who wants to keep it. A suicide is a selfish act, a cowards act. Anyone that contemplates this, and I have at times, need to get help to work through what hurts so that you can go on. Good luck to you in whatever decision you make. May this woman, who cried out for help, who was brave enough to ask for it in this public display, get the help she needs to go on with her life. That's the brave thing to do.
The world needs more people like you. Thank you for showing us that we should never be afraid to help another in need. God Bless You.
See, There are heros in USA, congratulations
He did not tell his bosses because they probably would have written him up for delay of service. He would also have to write a incident report. What he did was heroic yes, but the system would have done everything they could to charge him. Trust me, I know. I seen it one too many times.
Actually on our local news, it stated that he did call his dispatcher but then moved in fearful of time running out.
Thank you for caring.
Darnell your spontaneous gesture of compassion saved the girl and saved us from the relentless march of despair we see every day and night.
JA Melb Aus
Darnell, thank you for doing this, You are an amazing person! Greets from Europe!
It is wonderful to hear positive news about someone getting involved instead of sitting back to see what happens. That woman may have felt that nobody cared about her but Darnell Barton and a bus full of people cared enough to stop and help! WAY TO GO Darnell!!!
God Bless you Darnell. You listened to that voice in your soul.
faith in humanity restored!
You walk the walk, sir. I am truly moved. You are a hero and a shining example of love and selflessness.
What an awesome display of compassion, he truly was meant to be there at that time, fantastic guy
Great analogy Mr. Barton. Bravo to you, sir.
That was such an awesome thing you did!!! I hope people take a lesson and consider trying to help other more. I love what you did!!!
God: Nice work Darnell, you deserve all the credit here.
Can't watch that without crying. THANK YOU!
Awesome! This is what is important!
Darnell saw a Woman in Need and he did the Right Thing. I just think it Sad that the woman was that desperate to think of Taking Her Life without a friend or family member realizing she had lost hope.
God Bless you Mr. Barton! I have Bipolar II and have been suicidal; to know that there are men like you out in the world in this day and age bodes well for the cause of understanding mental illness as just that – an illness that is a medical issue and not a matter of character. Thank you Sir.
You are a hero, Darnell. Thank you for your compassion and your willingness to help someone in need. God bless you!
Amazing..people walking by her ..oblivious. Darnell your friends and family must be so proud to know you and have you in their life, I'm sure the story if just a reflection of what kind of guy he is...
Amazing job babe, love you so much .. Thank you everyone for your words of kindness and appreciation..proud wife over here 🙂
I am a Canadian and gota tell you not only would I like to see him on the Bills team , I would also like to see him in person to shake his hand. Wonderful guy indeed. to the two people who just walked by without a care.... shame on you . You have a great guy Patrina. A true human being and a true hero. Thank you from Canada.
An aside to this story as reported in the Buffalo News: As he put grabbed her arm to pull her in she remarked that he smelled nice. What was he wearing? Gucci: Guilty for Men. I am going to have to go and check this smell out and will have to save my pennies to buy an ounce of it.
You are an Angel!!!!
We need more people like you Darnell! Also CNN, we could use a lot more stories like this rather than focusing so much on the negative.
That's why we offer the #GoodStuff. Send us your ideas for stories to share!
Have a lovely New Day!
Lola
CNN VCM
Darnell: I was so touched by your kindness. I agree with you... you were there for a reason and we can thank God for that. I hope the woman gets the help she needs. You, sir, have all my respect. God bless you.
My brother is awesome!! We are so proud of him. He's just a good hearted person, and so very humble. He is an everyday hero in our minds and hearts. Thank you all for your kind words. We love him so!!
Hi, Belinda,
You must be so proud! We're all so inspired by him.
Have a lovely New Day~
Lola
CNN Viewer Comms
Thanks Lola. It truly is amazing. Beaming with pride!!
Tell your brother thank you and God Bless him! What a wonderful human being he is, what a great guy! I have Bipolar II and have been suicidal and to know that there are men out there that do not judge, but act instead to save the life of a stranger brings tears to my eyes of gratitude and amazement! Thank you Mr. Barton, God Bless you sir. Kate Martin from Montana
Please give him a big hug from my family. What a wonderful thing to do!
Thank you guys so much for you encouraging words of support for me. I appreciate all of you and may The GOD above bless us all.
Darnell, great job buddy, ever want to come to Canada (Fort Erie) and have some beers let me know. A true man. Thanks from your Canadian friends EH.
God Bless you Darnell and the Lady you helped as well. As long as we have folks like you, humanity still has hopes.
Thank you, Darnell. Thank you for being a good human being. I hope the woman gets the help that she needs.
God bless you Darnell! Its stories like this that warm your heart in what can be a cold world. We need more Darnell's!! Keep paying it forward....
What a guy! Good job, Well done ! Darnell can drive my bus anytime.
Darnell, if you ever get to Texas look me up, I wil buy you the biggest steak I can find.
Its stories like this that make us want to do good for others. Thank you Darnell, for being an inspiration!
Allahu Akbar! Praise be to Allah for giving this man the strength to do His work!
Make tears in my eyes. There are good people in this world. Thank you Mr. Barton! You are the man!
Praise be to God (YAH). Darnell was called for such a time as this and he responded to the call. God will definitely bless this man. Hallelu YAH
This shows you that PEOPLE have a HEART and that at any moment GOD has a reason and purpose for the common man !!!!
Darnell is a real blessing. May God continue to fill his heart with abundant love, joy and peace.
You said this so well. May God continue to bless this man and may he continue to listen to his heart.
This gives hope as we only hear about the bad & evil in this world. The Bible talks about the fruits of the spirit and the greatest is Love.
We need lots more Darnells in this world!! KUDOS!! This is AWESOME. In the football terms he was using, I know he made the greatest save in the biggest game of all... LIFE!! Hopefully she gets all the help she needs, and go on with the rest of her life
Well done sir, well done! 🙂
An example of true humanity and goodwill to all....The man is a hero
Gentle giant with a big heart. God bless you Darnell.
He should go play for the Bills – they could use a playmaker like him!
Thank God there are some good people left. You wouldn't know from most of the comments below CNN articles.
Well done Darnell. Definitely warrants a standing ovation.