TORONTO – A Michigan bus driver has been charged with a 93-day misdemeanor after cameras captured the shocking moment he nodded off behind the wheel – sending his bus, and its lone passenger, on a terrifying ride.
It happened on Oct. 21 of last year, in the suburban Detroit neighbourhood of West Bloomfield, Michigan.
65-year-old Leon Rasheed was driving his Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (or SMART) bus westbound along Maple Road, with a woman sitting near the rear of the bus his only passenger.
Multiple cameras on-board the bus captured what happens next: the bus appears to be proceeding normally, as the driver drifts off for just a moment.
It’s a momentary lapse, but it’s enough that Rasheed doesn’t notice the line of cars in front of him until it’s too late.
He stands on the breaks and attempts to swerve, but it’s too late, as the bus slams into the back of a grey SUV.
The out-of-control bus continues its rampage, smashing into several more cars and demolishing the guard rail before coming to a halt.
WDIV News in Detroit reports at least one car was vaulted into oncoming traffic by the fast-moving bus.
The sole passenger on board the bus is sent for a terrifying ride, but she manages to brace herself against a plastic barrier to avoid going flying.
She was able to walk away from the crash without serious injury. Two other people were hurt in the crash, but there injuries are non-life threatening and there are no reported fatalities.
One of the drivers who’s car was struck, Jayson Hammond, spoke with WXYZ News about what happened.
WATCH: Man struck by out-of-control Michigan bus speaks out
“I let off the gas and hit the break and the second I hit the break he hit the Ford explorer and it came head on into my lane,” Hammond said. “And then that struck me going about forty miles per hour.”
Rasheed tested negative for alcohol once police arrived on the scene, and told investigators he simply dozed off behind the wheel.
He was charged Wednesday with a moving violation causing serious impairment of a bodily function.
When local reporters asked Rasheed what he had to say to the other drivers, the apologetic driver kept it brief.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
But Hammond wasn’t so quick to accept his apology.
“Is he sorry or is he saying he’s sorry because he wants to look good, you know, before going in front of a prosecutor.”
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