Duluth mayor praises heroics of man who died aiding stricken bus driver

The passenger who died in a collision of city buses in Duluth last week was rushing from the back of the bus in an attempt to assist the driver who was suffering from a medical emergency, authorities said.

Mayor Don Ness said Wednesday that what Michael J. Mooney, 53, of Duluth, did last week as the bus sped out of control on a major downtown street is "the very definition of heroism."

Seconds before the crash along W. Superior Street, the former Marine dashed from his seat near the back of the bus toward the front "in an apparent attempt to help the driver" who had lost control of the vehicle, police said in a statement Wednesday.

"He was a Marine, and I think he recognized the severity of the moment and understood that action was required," Ness said. "He put his own life at risk to save the lives of others. … We are both thankful and appreciative of his willingness to act."

The account of Mooney's actions was among numerous new details about the crash — shortly after 5 a.m. on April 14 — that police released Wednesday, based on witness interviews and the review of video surveillance.

The driver of the eastbound bus, Rodney F. Polson, 58, of Duluth, survived the crash. A passenger on his bus, Jeanne Marie Doucette, 58, of Duluth, remains hospitalized in critical condition. Eight other passengers were injured to lesser degrees.

According to the latest account of the crash from police:

Upon being stricken, Polson lost control of his bus, sending it drifting just east of Mesaba Avenue in the heart of downtown.

As it gained speed, the bus drove onto the median, struck a stop sign and went through the intersection with 5th Avenue W. before hitting a signal light post.

The bus also hit concrete barriers protecting a building construction zone and then had a "very minor collision" with a westbound city bus.

"During the time the bus was out of control, it was apparent by the reactions of the passengers on the bus that something was wrong with the driver," police said in a statement. "Just prior to the crash, Mooney can be seen leaving his seat in the rear portion of the bus and begin to rush forward in an apparent attempt to help the driver."

The other bus driver was identified by police as Glenn Evan McGill, 59, of Duluth. The Duluth Transit Authority (DTA) said both drivers have many years of experience and had recently received safety awards.

Dennis Jensen, the DTA's general manager, said, "From all accounts I've heard, [Mooney] was being a hero [in a situation] that ended in an unfortunate tragedy."

This was the first fatality for the authority since its inception in 1969, a DTA official said.

Mooney, born and raised in Harvard, Ill., just south of the Wisconsin border, served 10 years in the Marines, according to his obituary in the Duluth News Tribune.

He moved to Duluth in the early 1990s and was working at the Black Woods restaurant group, Black Water Lounge and the Greysolon Ballroom in downtown Duluth at the time of his death.

Funeral services were held Wednesday morning in Duluth at St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church, followed by burial with full military honors at Cobblestone Cemetery in Walworth, Wis., about 10 miles north of his childhood hometown. Survivors include his mother, a daughter and three sisters.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482