By the time he allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel of a bus carrying 18 schoolchildren earlier this week, Mohamed M. Wasuge had racked up a host of traffic violations and concerns about his attentiveness.
How did someone with a questionable driving record end up at the helm of a school bus? Because under Minnesota law, his violations hadn't risen to a serious enough level to warrant termination of his bus driving privileges.
An attorney for Bille Bus Transportation, which employed Wasuge, said the company would have never hired him had it known about his record.
"There's just too many violations in that record," said Bruce Goldstein, who represents the company and its owner, Abdirizak Bille. "He was asked about his record, and did not disclose any violations like that."
Bille Bus Transporation hired Wasuge, 31, about two months ago, and fired him after he crashed a school bus about 8 a.m. Monday into three parked cars in St. Paul, careened over a curb and nearly struck a building. Police cited him Wednesday for careless driving, saying witnesses reported that he had fallen asleep.
Two students and an adult bus monitor bound for West Side Summit Charter School were briefly hospitalized for aches and pains.
Goldstein said that a company that conducts background checks for Bille Bus had cleared Wasuge for employment. It was only after the crash, Goldstein said, that Bille Bus learned that Wasuge had failed to provide a signed consent form to the contractor that would allow it to complete a full background check.
It's unclear why that issue didn't come up earlier, or whether the contractor searched public records available at any courthouse in Minnesota or on the state court's website via private computer.
