Bill Craven: Hero Bus Driver Avoids Highway Tragedy

It's a stunning story of courage in the face of impending tragedy. Heroic bus driver Bill Craven, 74, steered his 60-passenger bus to safety as he was dying of a heart attack near Gateshead, England, the Daily Mail reports.

"Bill's actions whilst he was suffering his heart attack were heroic... We will always be incredibly proud of Bill for what he did that day, and for the way he represented our business every day he worked for us," Michael Bell, Bells Coaches managing director, told the Daily Mail.

Craven suffered a heart attack during the two hour ride from Newcastle to Ambleside and "clipp[ed] a lamppost" on the highway, according to the Daily Mail. By steering the bus to the side of the road, Craven saved 46 passengers -- there were no reported injuries and only one passenger was taken to the hospital.

The driver, who had worked for Bells Coaches for 16 years, was remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather and as a "first-class colleague and employee"; his funeral was held on Thursday.

"What I thought was very touching, was a lady on the bus who helped him came to his funeral to express her condolence," Craven's son Brian said. "She introduced herself to me. It was a lovely thing for a stranger to do."