‘I'm Blessed to Be Alive': Pedestrian Pinned Beneath Bus Speaks

A 77-year-old man survived being hit by a Greyhound bus in downtown Washington, D.C., and two weeks after the crash, he said he feels lucky to be alive.

Lying in a hospital bed at a rehabilitation center on Wednesday, James Holmes said he's ready to be back on his feet.

"All I want to do is walk again," he said. "I'm blessed to be alive."

Holmes had just left his job with Meals on Wheels when he was walking about 1:10 p.m. Nov. 4 at 7th Street and Massachusetts Avenue NW.

A Greyhound bus plowed into him, pinning him beneath its rear wheels, as News4 reported. Witnesses said the driver didn't realize initially that he had hit anyone. People who saw what happened started to bang onto the bus, and the driver stopped.

A doctor a witness called a "secret hero" dove under the bus to help Holmes, while D.C. Fire and EMS crews worked for more than 20 minutes to extricate him, using hydraulic jacks and wooden slats to raise the rear of the bus.

The impact knocked Holmes out and left his left leg broken. He said he remembers having a green light and walking in the crosswalk, and then his memory is blank.

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Holmes spent two weeks in a hospital and was in a rehabilitation center on Wednesday.

"I'm 77 years old. I never got hurt in my life, any job I worked on," he said. "I worked for 35 years in construction labor ... and then got hit by a bus."

Information on the investigation of the crash and any charges against the bus driver were not available immediately.

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