SMART Bus Driver Fell Asleep Before Hitting Seven Cars in W. Bloomfield
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 21, 2014)
Two people were seriously injured when a SMART bus driver fell asleep at the wheel on Monday at around 6pm.
The 65-year-old driver was on Maple Road near Middle Belt, traveling westbound when the bus went over the center of the road and hit an eastbound vehicle. It then hit six more vehicles heading in both directions, according to various published reports.
The West Bloomfield Fire Department had to extract a passenger from one of the vehicles. They and the driver were taken to the emergency room with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.
The bus had one passenger on it, who was not injured.
Police are investigating the accidents and it has not yet been announced if the driver will face any charges. They have ruled out the possibility of drugs or alcohol being involved.