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SALT LAKE CITY — Nick Pappas didn't have much to say as Utah Transit Authority leaders honored him during a special ceremony at the beginning of the agency's board of trustees meeting on Wednesday.
"I just happened to be at the right place at the right time to help," he said.
Pappas, a UTA bus operator, had just wrapped up his shift on March 14 and was driving his bus back to a garage when he noticed a person who was rolling around on the sidewalk on 5400 South near Cougar Lane in Kearns. He decided to pull over to see if the person needed help, realizing right away after he opened his bus door that a pair of Rottweilers were attacking a woman on the ground.
The woman, Marissa Bowen, told KSL-TV on Tuesday that she saw the dogs running loose while driving east on 5400 South and pulled over to help the dogs before they got hit by a car. The dogs were friendly at first before they began to attack her, eventually dragging her to the ground and biting her. She believed she was going to die unless someone intervened.
That's when Pappas arrived. He thought that his bus could provide her some protection away from the dogs, so he lept out and briefly fended off the dogs before helping Bowen off the ground and guiding her onto the bus. The whole ordeal happened quickly.
"The interaction was very brief, from the time I got stopped to the time she was safe on the bus," he said, recalling the incident.
The incident was captured on the bus's surveillance cameras, which UTA released Wednesday afternoon with Bowen's permission.
Pappas is seen driving on 5400 South when he notices a commotion on the sidewalk and stops. Bowen is then seen rolling on the sidewalk near the street, screaming as Pappas runs out of his driver's seat to help.
"Hey! Hey! Get going!" he yells at the dogs, ushering Bowen onto the bus.
The dogs leave for a second or two before they try to attempt to get through the door. Pappas and Bowen are able to close the door after a short struggle.
"They got me really good," Bowen says, as she writhes in pain in the back of the bus.
The dogs can be seen running around the outside of the bus as Pappas calls for emergency assistance. One of the dogs even rips a windshield wiper off the vehicle during the middle of the call.
"These dogs are tearing my bus apart," he tells UTA dispatchers.
The 3-minute clip ends before responders arrive. UTA officials said Wednesday that local animal control officers have identified the owner of the dogs and are investigating why the dogs were running loose in the first place.
Utah woman recovering from vicious dog attack; bus driver to be honored for saving her
A Utah woman says she's still recovering from her injuries after she was attacked last week by two Rottweilers.Meanwhile, Bowen says she is still recovering from severe bites all over her body. She began to tear up during the ceremony as she described what Pappas' actions on March 14 meant to her.
"You really are a hero," she said, turning to him. "You didn't have to stop and you did, and you saved my life. Now I get to see another day and hold my little boy another day, so thank you."
While Pappas didn't say much about the attack during the ceremony, his colleagues expressed their appreciation for his actions. They said it exemplified his ongoing willingness to volunteer when needed.
UTA Police Chief Dalan Taylor, who watched the video himself, presented Pappas with a commemorative coin that the agency awards employees who go above and beyond their jobs, as well as another coin reserved for "special occasions" like Wednesday's ceremony.
"I was amazed by the courage that you showed," he said. "You were willing to put yourself in harm's way to save another and help another. I appreciate that."
Pappas admitted after the ceremony that he feels the praise he has received is "a little overwhelming" as he prepared for another shift later in the day. He contends that Bowen needed shelter during the attack and he felt lucky enough to be "driving shelter" at the moment.
It's why Pappas doesn't see himself as a hero; however, meeting Bowen's son and other family members Wednesday did bring a smile to his face.
"It makes me feel good," he said. "It makes me feel good knowing that she's safe."
Contributing: Karah Brackin
