Neil Atleo standing at the scene of where he found Lin Bayford, who had serious injuries after a steep fall from a ladder on May 2, 2019 (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

Good Samaritan

‘I think he saved my life:’ Nanaimo transit driver hailed as hero for spotting badly injured man

Oct 8, 2019 | 11:06 AM

NANAIMO — The stars aligned for a maintenance worker whose life may have been saved by a Regional District of Nanaimo transit driver.

On the afternoon of May 2, 2019 Lin Bayford was 15-feet up a ladder repairing a structure on property next to the RDN transit yard off Hammond Bay Rd.

Tension from the structure sprung a metal brace loose, which hit Bayford on the head.

He temporarily lost consciousness and fell from the ladder to the unforgiving pavement.

“All I remember is waking to severe pain and very limited breathing, I was in a lot of distress,” Bayford told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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He helplessly languished under a truck beside a screened fence, obscured from view to the transit yard.

Transit driver Neil Atleo was preparing for his shift when he faintly heard Bayford, eventually spotted him, then called 911.

“He’s a saviour for me for probably saving my life,” Bayford said. “I’m not sure what would have happened if he hadn’t have found me.”

Bayford was hospitalized in Nanaimo, then spent a few nights in hospital in Victoria. He had several broken and cracked ribs, a collapsed lung and giant welt on his head.

The longtime maintenance worker from Cobble Hill fully recovered and has been back working for three months.

Safety is now top of mind for Bayford, who had been accident free his entire working life until last May’s incident.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have been up that high on a ladder at 68-years-old, I don’t know,” Bayford chuckled.

Atleo recounted the dramatic incident during a sit-down interview at the RDN transit yard Tuesday. He heard what sounded like a human weakly grasping for air, but couldn’t pin down where the noise was coming from.

He checked inside and under the yard’s buses, just in case a distressed customer failed to disembark.

Atleo then spotted two legs under a truck after a visual sightline appeared through the screened fence.

Atleo’s first thought was the legs belonged to a mechanic working on a truck.

He then quickly discovered Bayford, who muffled quiet noises, but couldn’t speak.

“We have the CNG (compressed natural gas) buses that aren’t too noisy,” Atleo told NanaimoNewsNOW. “If we had those old diesel engines I would have never even come close to hearing those noises…He still would have been lying there.”

Helping potentially save a life hasn’t sunk in yet for Atleo. He spoke with Bayford over the phone and looks forward to meeting up with him shortly.

The soft spoken Atleo said he’s not used to so much attention, but hopes it inspires people.

“In my own personal mind I’m just doing my daily duties whether it’s a driver or as a human being. We’ve got to help one another and be there for one another.”

Atleo and his colleagues are no strangers to assisting others in need.

He said transit drivers constantly observe and react on a daily basis.

“Many drivers have made calls to the proper authorities to report suspicious activities in shops or homes, driveways. We’ve run into people involved in violent domestic situations on the road.”

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes