‘A loan, not a donation’: Passenger who stopped King County bus after driver collapsed gets rent money, attorney

Hero passenger Ernie Makinson stopped a King County Metro bus after the driver collapsed last week. The bus collided with seven vehicles across five blocks before Makinson brought it to a stop, using one hand to steer the bus and the other to resuscitate the driver.

Makinson detailed the event on “The John Curley Show” on KIRO Newsradio Friday, saying that as the bus stopped, he went through the windshield and broke his glasses, which King County Metro has refused to pay for. A thief also went through Makinson’s backpack and stole his rent money amid the chaos.

On Monday, “The John Curley Show” gave an update on Makinson. KIRO producer Joe Wallace was able to meet him Saturday at the Salvation Army William Booth Center in the Chinatown-International District, where he is staying after his roommate kicked him out for not paying rent.

“He had an apartment, but his rent was in his backpack. That money got stolen. So his roommate was not very sympathetic and kicked him out,” Wallace said.

Wallace described Makinson as “an old cowboy from Texas.” Due to his injuries from the crash, Makinson is now using a walker and subsequently lost his job.

“He’s got the walker now, but he has a nice, clean shaven with a big old mustache,” Wallace said.

The KIRO Newsradio team was able to scrape together about $400 to help Makinson with rent, but when Wallace went to hand him the money, Makinson vowed to pay it back.

“He said, ‘Boy, before you hand this money, dude, you got to promise me this is not a donation. This is a loan, man,'” Wallace shared. “And I’m like, ‘No, Mac, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.’ But he said, ‘No, I want you to shake my hand, look me in the eye, and tell me you’re gonna pay me back every cent of this.’ So I did. He made me promise him that we would insist that he pay us back.”

Wallace added that Makinson was a great guy and that he didn’t fit in at the shelter.

“He’s not a drunk. He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t use drugs, just completely out of place down there, walking around with all the ghosts down in the CID,” Wallace said.

Last week, Makinson told “The John Curley Show” that when he called King County Metro about replacing his glasses, they said the agency is not liable and hung up on him. Wallace said he talked to an attorney who volunteered to help Makinson out, but later found out he already had one.

“He actually got a different attorney that he had signed with by the end of the day on Saturday, so he’s covered,” Wallace said.

Wallace noted King County Metro responded to KOMO News and didn’t mention Makinson’s glasses, but did acknowledge his heroic act.

“We’re grateful to Ernie for stepping in to stop the bus and prevent further tragedy,” a King County Metro spokesperson told KOMO News. “We spoke with him and expressed our appreciation, and we’re working to connect him with resources to support his recovery.”

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

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