It was a Christmassy scene in Milwaukee as bus driver Tayra Curran drove down the snowy streets of the Wisconsin city in December 2017. The 29 yearold made an unscheduled stop on her way downtown when something totally unplanned for happen. She saw a female on the sidewalk in distress. Once stationary, the doors of the bus opened to admit the stricken woman who almost collapsed in agony. But it was only when she spoke to Karen that it became clear just how critical the case was. It was going to be a race against time. The December 2017 weather was bitter in Milwaukee due to the chill coming off the nearby Lake Michigan. The Northern city has an average temperature as low as 19 degrees Fahrenheit. Christmas Eve saw snow covering the roads and sidewalks and it was the perfect day for sensible people to be snuggled up indoors. But unfortunately, not everyone in the city could afford to do that. Originally from the more temperate climates of Atlanta, Georgia, Kerrin was working her shift as normal that day.
She was an employee of the Milwaukee County Transit System and was in charge of a Gold Line bus. Curran’s duty was to safely transport her fellow citizens around in the treacherous conditions. But something happened during her shift, which was definitely not in Curran’s job description. The remarkable events that unfolded that snowy Christmas Eve saw Curran become a small local star. It was the quick witted and empathetic way that she dealt with an unexpected situation that impressed people. And what’s more, video evidence of the incident was to emerge. And once that footage hit the Internet, the compassionate Curran’s Fame spread further. It all started when Kern was following the Goldline Route at about 10:00 A.m.. This runs from Brookfield in the east of Milwaukee, across town, and then on to Downer Woods in the west. Kern was not far into the journey when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something worrying through the windshield of the bus. The driver saw the figure of a woman waving at her, but it was not a friend, nor did she appear to be a passenger simply requesting the bus to stop. The woman seemed to be in distress.
Curran’s instincts told her to pull the bus over to the sidewalk and see if the stranger was OK. And it was lucky that the driver did, because when a female pedestrian approached the vehicle, she was not in good shape at all. After Curran opened the vehicle’s doors for her, it was clear that the situation was serious. The woman was weeping in agony and looked like she was going to fall over. Karen later spoke to local ABC affiliated channel Wisntv about the incident and what happened. When she first spoke to the woman in trouble.
She told me she was going into Labor, Corrin reported.
All at once, she knew that although the woman was not her passenger, the bus driver still had a civic responsibility. It was urgent, and Karen would have to act fast to help the stranger.
I just immediately got out of my chair and helped her.
She told a reporter from Wisntv on January 3, 2018. This story was supported by surveillance footage from the Gold Lines security cameras. In the clip, Curran is shown leaping out of the driver’s seat and approaching the woman at the doors of the vehicle. Then the bus driver is seen gently helping the female get onto the bus. The video next shows two passengers also coming to the heavily pregnant woman’s aid. The three of them managed to get the imminent mom to be seated and relatively settled, and then current focused on calling the emergency services to the scene.
Horrible. Just snowing and wet. Nothing. She was crying in pain.
The bus driver dialed 911. Karen had had experience of exactly what it was like to be in labor twice. In fact, she has two sons of her own, aged seven and eleven years old. Consequently, she decided against turning the Goldline into a giant ambulance and driving the woman to the emergency room herself.
I thought about it. I did, I said we can’t go. We’re going to wait. We’re going to stay right here because I was not too far from the hospital.
Although the Fred Turd Hospital was very close by, Karen worried about the state of the roads and that bumps along the way might have done damage to either mother or baby. Instead, Karen focused all of her attention on calming the expectant mom down while they waited for the emergency crew to arrive. The woman was clearly experiencing severe pain, and the tears were now running down her face. But mom of two Kearrin was familiar with the agony of contractions, and she did her best to reassure and comfort the distressed stranger. The bus driver learned that her latest passenger was seven months pregnant, and the female’s condition seemed to be deteriorating. I just told her to stay in the seat because she was sliding off and told her the paramedics were coming right away, Curran told Wisntv. It must have felt like an eternity for the woman in labor. But mercifully, the emergency services turned up quickly. A paramedic team stretched the woman off the bus and whisked her off to the hospital. And then, just like that, the drama was over and Curran realized that she hadn’t even learned the mom to be his name. But it would not be long before a lot of people learned the name of the bus driving Good Samaritan.
Soon after, the Milwaukee County Transit System released the footage of the incident, Kerran featured in numerous local, national and international news reports, and she was widely praised for her caring and civic minded behavior. That Christmas Eve. When she discussed what happened that day and her subsequent actions, Karen remained modest. The bus driver put it down to being prepared for anything as part of her job dealing with the public and traveling the Milwaukee streets. You have got to be ready for whatever happens, she told Wisntv. You have to be patient, watchful mindful and have good judgment. Even though Karen played a big part in getting the anonymous mom to be safely to Er that day, there has been no follow up. The bus driver has still not learned the woman’s name and does not know what happened to her or the newborn. Nevertheless, Kerran had a message that she wanted to pass on to the hopefully happy new parent. Via the initial news report, she spoke to the reporter from Wistntv in the hope that the woman would one day hear her words. Somehow, Turin addressed the new mom directly.
Saying, well, I hope everything is okay and you reach out to us and let us know what’s going on with you and the baby.
So far, however, there is no update to share on the story. Nevertheless, internet users worldwide thought Karen was pretty awesome for pulling over the woman in labor and when the news of the incident broke online readers of the internet side of UK tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail had plenty of good things to say about the Milwaukee County Transit System employee. Restoring my faith in humankind thank you for this great story, wrote one great good Samaritan story. Well done to all. Hope the pregnant lady was OK, said another Commenter who was impressed by Current’s cool but kind actions on Christmas Eve. Although the pregnant Milwaukee woman’s fate is still unknown, there is one thing for certain. There are now a lot of people all over the world were hoping that things went smoothly after the initial shock for her and her baby. But this was not the first time Karen has been compelled to call 911 during her career in public transport. Amazingly, about twelve months before the pregnant stranger panic, the bus driver was involved in another emergency situation while riding a route. Apparently, a different woman had waved down Curren’s bus bleeding heavily after having been shot in a robbery.
Curran has only been a bus driver for the Milwaukee County transit system for three years, but nevertheless, in this short time she has kept her cool. Dealing with two dramatic incidents on the job situations that would have sent many other people into a hot panic. You see more than what people usually see when they’re behind a desk in the office, Karen said with a smile.