To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

US Bus Driver Dies Of Coronavirus Just Weeks After Desperate Facebook Plea

US Bus Driver Dies Of Coronavirus Just Weeks After Desperate Facebook Plea

Jason Hargrove, who was a public bus driver in Detroit, had posted a video on Facebook, criticising a woman who boarded his vehicle

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

A bus driver in America has sadly passed away after contracting coronavirus, less than two weeks after posting a video complaining about a passenger who refused to cover her mouth while coughing.

Jason Hargrove, who was a public bus driver in Detroit, had posted a video on Facebook on 21 March, criticising a woman who boarded his vehicle.

In his eight-minute video, he explained how he felt violated - not just for himself, but also for other passengers on the bus.

He said: "We out here as public workers, doing our jobs, trying to make an honest living to take care of our families, but for you to get on the bus and stand on the bus and cough several times without covering up your mouth ... that lets me know that some folks don't care. Utterly don't give a f***, excuse my language."

Urging people tostay home wherever possible, and to take the deadly virus seriously, he continued: "It's folks dying out here. I'm mad right about now because that s*** was uncalled for. And I'm trying to be the professional that they want me to be, so I kept my mouth closed ... I feel violated. I feel violated for the folks that were on the bus when this happened."

Jason Hargrove.
Jason Hargrove/Facebook

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan confirmed on Thursday 2 April that Hargrove had died.

Duggan said in a press conference: "I don't know how you can watch it and not tear up. He knew his life was being put in jeopardy, even though he was going to work for the citizens of Detroit every day, but somebody just didn't care.

"Somebody who didn't take this seriously and now he's gone."

He also encouraged others to watch Hargrove's poignant Facebook plea, in which the bus driver had begged people: "Y'all be safe. If you ain't got to go out, don't go out. If you go, cover up your face, put some gloves on your hands. Please."

The Amalgamated Transit Union commemorated Hargrove in a statement, saying he had been a member of the union since 2016, and left behind a wife.

It's okay to not panic. LADbible and UNILAD's aim with our series, Cutting Through, is to provide our community with facts and stories from the people who are either qualified to comment or have experienced first-hand the situation we're facing. For more information from the World Health Organisation on coronavirus, click here.

Featured Image Credit: Kevin Hargrove/Facebook

Topics: News, Coronavirus, US News