Snoozing Bus Driver Wiped Out 16 Vehicles, Police Say: Watch

In-vehicle video cameras captured the crash of a metro Detroit SMART bus last fall. The driver was arraigned on a traffic charged Wednesday. (Screenshot via YouTube)

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Harrowing video was released Wednesday during the arraignment of a 65-year-old Detroit metro bus driver who allegedly fell asleep last fall and struck 16 vehicles, seriously injuring a Bloomfield Township couple, last fall.

The driver, Leon Yusuf Rasheed, an 11-year-veteran of the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) service, was arraigned Wednesday via video in 48th District Court in Bloomfield Hills, the Detroit Free Press reports.

He is charged with a moving violation causing serious impairment of body function, an offense punishable by up to 93 days in jail. Magistrate Peter Mansour set bail at 10 percent of $10,000.

In-vehicle video shows the nearly empty bus traveling uneventfully along Maple Road between Inkster and Middle Belt in West Bloomfield on Oct. 20. Suddenly, the bus crashed into several vehicles before sliding into a guardrail. In an attempt to gain control of the bus, the driver fell out as the lone passenger struggled to stay in her seat.

Previously on Patch:

• SMART Bus Hits 6 Vehicles After Driver Falls Asleep: Police

Rasheed can be heard saying on the video that he must have fallen asleep, and confirmed to police that when he awoke, he realized “I’m gonna hit that car.” In the confusion, he apparently hit the accelerator instead of the brake.

He told police he wondered, “Why won’t this bus stop?” before realizing “you hittin’ the accelerator.”

Police ruled out alcohol or drugs as factors in the crash, but “made some statements about working long hours and numerous days in a row,” according to the police report. Bus maintenance and hospital records obtained by search warrants ruled out a mechanical failure or medical problem.

West Bloomfield Police Detective Lt. Curt Lawson told the Free Press that the investigation was complex and took four months to complete because the crash scene covered a one-half mile stretch of highway.

Rasheed told reporters after his arraignment at the West Bloomfield Police Department that he regrets the accident and the injured couple, who he has been ordered not to contact.

“I’m sorry (for) what happened. I apologize to the people I had the accident with,” Rasheed said. “They have my sympathies. I pray for them every day. I wish them well.”

Rasheed retired from SMART in December.