Stephen Turner hailed hero for steering runaway bus to safety after driver collapsed Stephen Turner, 56, was only on board for seconds before he took control Driver had passed out with feet on pedals so Mr Turner grabbed the wheel Hero saved himself and eight passengers by taking bus safely into trees Single decker was speeding down a steep hill towards a busy junction Quick thinking: Stephen Turner became a hero after he steered a Huddersfield bus to safety in these bushes after the driver collapsed at the wheel on a steep hill A hero managed to save a group of passengers on a runaway bus after grabbing the wheel when the driver collapsed. Father-of-three Stephen Turner, 56, had only been on board for 10 yards when the vehicle began careering down a hill in West Yorkshire. The driver of the single decker had passed out and the bus was rolling out of control towards a busy junction and traffic lights. When he realised what had happened, Mr Turner, of Dalton, Huddersfield, jumped out of his seat but found he could not move the driver from his chair or reach the pedals. He then grabbed the wheel and steered the runaway bus around a lamppost, bringing it to a halt in some trees and bushes on the side of the road. All eight passengers escaped injury and the bus driver has since been discharged from hospital. The incident happened on the 341 Stocksmoor to Huddersfield service in Yorkshire at 12.30pm on Saturday. 'I noticed the driver was leaning over but at first I thought he was checking the cash machine,' Mr Turner said. But then there was a judder as we caught the kerb and slumped even further into the aisle. My first thought was how to slow the bus down. I just did what came instinctively. He had got on the Yorkshire Tiger bus with his wife, Janice, 54, and said he noticed something was wrong with the driver after just 10 yards. He said: 'I took it into some trees and bushes on the left to slow it down and had to swerve round a lamppost at one point. 'I realised I couldn't go fully into the trees as it might have flipped the bus over. Fortunately it stopped. 'I'm just glad everyone is safe, when the driver came round he had no idea what had happened and his eyes were glazed.' Evasive action: Mr Turner had to grab the wheel of the 341 bus, similar to this one, but could not stop it moving because the driver was slumped with his feet on the pedals Incredible: The bus was heading down this hill towards a major junction before Mr Turner took control Stephen, who has a three sons - Craig, 29, Leigh, 27, and Glenn, 21, said: 'I just did what I needed to do. I even surprised myself, especially when you think what could have happened. After he had spoken to the authorities Stephen and his wife jumped on another bus and continued their journey in to town. Passenger Richard Brabiner, 40, who witnessed the drama, said: 'I was sitting on the back seat and a woman at the front of the bus noticed the driver was leaned over. She thought he was just checking his mirrors then realised he had actually passed out. The man who steered the bus is the one who saved the day. I didn't even get his name but I thanked him once we stopped and he waited for the police and ambulance to arrive.' Martin Gilbert, business director at Yorkshire Tiger buses, said: 'We want to express our huge appreciation to Mr Turner and his quick thinking and reactions.'