Wu Bin

Wu Bin (吴斌)

Wu Bin (吴斌), a bus driver from the city of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province, has deeply moved the public for his heroic act of self-sacrifice. The man laid down his life to save his 24 passengers from imminent danger.

Wu was driving his bus from Wuxi to Hangzhou on the Shanghai-Yichang Highway around noon on May 29, 2012, when he was suddenly struck by a large chunk of iron that came flying through the windscreen. Although the sheet of metal severely injured Wu, a 76-second surveillance video clearly shows his final actions. He held the wheel tight, put on the parking brake, safely brought the bus to a halt, pulled up the handbrake, turned on the fault-warning lights, and advised his passengers to remain seated. He managed to calmly do all this before collapsing from his injuries. With his last strength he asked passengers to call emergency services.

Wu was sent to a local military hospital. According to his doctors, Wu's liver had almost been smashed to pieces. He ultimately died from his injuries.

Born in Hangzhou on March 8, 1965, Wu worked at the No. 2 Passenger Transport Company of Hangzhou. Before the tragic accident, he'd had a spotless driving record of more than 1 million kilometers, according to his colleague Chen Yibo.

Wu got married to Wang Lizhe 18 years ago, with whom he has a 16-year-old daughter. His parents are over 70 years old.

Wu's heroic actions have deeply moved the public. His body was sent to a local funeral home under a police escort for cremation. Thousands of people showed up to pay their last respects.

During an executive meeting of the provincial government on June 4, 2012, Governor Xia Baolong announced that the government had conferred the honorary titles of "model worker" and "martyr" upon Wu in order to commemorate his acts of selflessness.

Meanwhile, police are still investigating the cause of the accident.