Witnesses thought a tour bus was going to careen down a 30-foot high bluff along the Mississippi River in Natchez Friday afternoon when one of the area’s “Hop On-Hop Off” buses had mechanical issues and the driver was forced to drive the bus into a guard rail to prevent what could have been a tragic situation.

Police say the driver veered the bus into the rail to stop it from continuing to roll down the steep hill headed toward the Mississippi River when she felt that the bus had a mechanical issue as she was driving.

To bystanders, it looked as though the bus was getting ready to roll off of a 30-foot cliff down to the Mississippi River on Friday afternoon.

Natchez Police Chief Joseph Daughtry said the woman steered it onto the sidewalk and “hopped off” as it hit the rail, likely preventing a worse accident, he said.

“I thank God for her quick thinking to stop the bus,” he said.

Traffic on Silver Street stalled for a couple of hours as officials worked to work the scene and get the bus off of the sidewalk.

Daughtry said the driver badly injured her foot and no one else was hurt. The driver’s injuries are not life-threatening, he said.