A newly released police report and internal video detail the tense moments when a MARTA bus drove off the road and crashed into a tree last week in Dunwoody.
The driver, who is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, has been removed from his position pending an investigation, MARTA officials told USA TODAY.
The driver and multiple passengers were injured in the crash, and the driver was issued citations from the Dunwoody Police Department.
Here's what we know.
MARTA driver takes hands off the wheel
According to a police crash report obtained by USA TODAY, the 58-year-old driver was sitting at the intersection of North Shallowford Road and Peachford Road in Dunwoody on Sept. 7 when he clasped his hands across his stomach and leaned his head back.
Police said "in the process of this
he ended up taking his foot off the brakes and the bus was moving without the driver being in control," according to the report. Police then specify the driver "woke up" as the bus veered off the road and tried to regain control of the bus.
The bus was already crossing oncoming traffic and it then ran off the road and "struck a tree and got stuck in an embankment," police said. The tree split, and part of it fell over a fence and onto five vehicles parked nearby. No one was inside those vehicles at the time.
When police arrived, an officer "got on the bus and noticed three individuals on the bus injured. The driver sustained severe lacerations to the face and left arm, a possible broken leg and broken pinkie. Passenger two who was sitting behind the driver was on the ground with complaints of back and hip pain." A third passenger complained of knee pain following the crash.
When interviewed, the driver said he didn't remember what happened but came to when the bus was going into the embankment. One passenger told police he believed the driver may have been experiencing a medical episode. The driver was transported to Northside Hospital.
The driver was cited with distracted driving and failure to maintain a lane, and an internal investigation by MARTA has been launched, police said.
Driver 'pulled from service'
“The safety of our riders and employees is our highest priority, and an incident like this is unacceptable," MARTA spokesperson Payson Schwin told USA TODAY in an email. "Following the incident, the operator was immediately pulled from service and will remain so until an exhaustive investigation is complete.”
MARTA, or the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, is known best for operating the city's train system, but there are dozens of bus routes that are part of the public transit network.
A full map of the MARTA network can be found here.
Irene Wright covers MARTA the Atlanta Connect reporter with USA Today’s Deep South Connect team. Find her on X @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MARTA driver falls asleep at the wheel. Report shows injuries, citation
