WATCH: RTA bus driver praised as hero for helping passengers to safety during tornadoes

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Newly released video shows an RTA bus driver helping passengers get to safety the night of the Memorial Day tornadoes.

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David Dancer was at the Northwest Hub in Trotwood when he knew he needed to act.

“There’s a tornado,” he said in the video. “Large tornado heading this way. I’m not even joking.”

But Dancer wasn’t thinking about himself. Instead, he was worried about everyone else at the hub.

“I had seen the funnel actually on the ground off in the distance,” he said. “So that’s when I knew to rush and get everybody off their buses as soon as possible, that this was a serious event.”

Dancer said that he evacuated his bus, and then helped with three others.

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“When it came down to it, I didn’t want to be selfish and just take cover on my own and leave everybody out there to fend for themselves,” he said. “That’s just not the thing to do.”

Those quick moments of terror have left a lasting impact on him.

“It’s honestly doing to make me adhere to more warnings and be on the lookout for any type of dangerous weather,” Dancer said.

Dancer was nominated for the RTA’s Be the One award for his bravery, but he doesn’t see his actions that way.

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“I don’t consider myself a hero,” he said. “I just consider myself a bus driver that did his job that night.”

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