Despite the life-threatening nature of the injuries he sustained after a piece of metal penetrated the windshield of the bus he was driving, Wu Bin, a 48-year-old bus operator from Hangzhou, China, still managed to find the strength to stop the vehicle, lift the parking brake, put on the hazards, and ask the two-dozen passengers on board to remain seated, before passing out.

At the hospital it was determined that Wu had sustained serious liver damage as well as three broken ribs. He died last Friday — three days after the accident.

An outpouring of support from many Chinese Internet users led Wu's home province of Zhejiang to bestow upon him the honorary title of "revolutionary martyr." The country's Ministry of Transport further honored Wu's memory by naming him "a model driver with love for his post and dedication to his work."

Meanwhile, the accident is still being investigated. Authorities believe the sheet of metal that killed Wu may have fallen off a truck travelling in the opposite direction.

[MSN Now, video via NYDN]