A Detroit woman's routine trip from Chicago to metro Detroit turned into what she describes as a "nerve-wracking and dangerous ride" when she discovered her bus driver was using his phone while driving on snowy roads at highway speeds.

Watch Faraz Javed's video report: Bus driver caught using phone while transporting passengers on snowy freeway

Marta Carvajal captured video footage showing the Quintessence Travels bus driver texting, talking on the phone, and even using a calculator app while driving 31 passengers on slippery roads during snow showers. She said the driver was traveling at 70 mph and at times had both hands off the wheel.

Watch: Passenger captures bus driver using phone while driving Passenger captures video of bus driver using phone while driving

"He was eating, driving, talking on the phone, and texting," Carvajal said. "Not only texting, he also wanted to do some math."

The incident occurred this past Sunday when Carvajal's Amtrak train from Chicago was replaced with bus transportation provided by the Chicago-based charter company. Despite suffering from car sickness, Carvajal said she had no other travel options.

"I didn't have other options," Carvajal said.

When shown the video evidence, Quintessence Travels owner Steven Holmes called the driver's behavior "totally unacceptable."

"I don't know, but that right there is unacceptable with the law. Totally unacceptable," Holmes said.

Holmes said his company has partnered with Amtrak for nearly four years and this is the first complaint of its kind. He confirmed the driver will be terminated.

"I have not, you know, called him into a meeting or whatever, but he will be, he will be terminated," Holmes said.

Carvajal has filed a complaint with Amtrak and is still waiting for a response. She paid $150 for a round-trip train ticket and said this wasn't the service she expected.

"I just got on my knees and I kissed the ground and I say, 'thanks God,'" Carvajal said about finally arriving safely in Dearborn.

Holmes apologized to passengers and said the company is reviewing its processes, including installing cameras on buses.

"For me to apologize for everybody for to have to deal with that with a driver," Holmes said.

Michigan State Police confirmed this behavior violates the state's hands-free driving law, with violators facing civil infractions.

Amtrak has not yet responded to questions about how it vets charter bus partners.

his story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

A 64-year-old Dearborn man's daily battle with uncleared sidewalks has sparked a conversation about winter accessibility, while the city cracks down on snow emergency violations to keep streets safe for everyone.

Watch Faraz Javed's video report: Dearborn works to clear sidewalks and streets after snow emergency

Faraz Javed is 7 News Detroit's Dearborn beat reporter. If you have a story idea for him, email him at Faraz.Javed@wxyz.com

Kenny Rehandorf doesn't drive after a drunk driver crashed into him years ago, and right now, he can't afford a car. Working for a temp agency at $13.73 an hour, his three to four weekly grocery trips become treacherous journeys when snow falls, and sidewalks remain uncleared.

"It's people not shoveling or salting their sidewalks," Rehandorf said.

His usual 30-minute walk to Kroger on Michigan Avenue and Outer Drive can take an extra 30 minutes when sidewalks are covered in snow. The mile-long trek becomes even more dangerous when he's carrying groceries.

"I'm really frustrated, especially if I have to carry some items. I try not to bring anything breakable, like eggs or any glass, just in case I do slip and fall. At least I won't hopefully get cut," Rehandorf said.

He has fallen multiple times on his grocery runs.

When 7 News Detroit's Faraz Javed shared Rehandorf's story with Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, the mayor joined me to see the challenging path firsthand, particularly near Kroger along Outer Drive.

"For example, this is not a city road, but sometimes there are stretches of roadway, which technically nobody is responsible for shoveling, which makes it extremely difficult," Hammoud said.

The mayor acknowledged that while some areas may not be the city's governmental responsibility, Rehandorf is a Dearborn resident, making it his responsibility to find solutions.

"Kenny, we got your back, and we'll do everything that we can as Dearborn residents, as the mayor of this city, to make sure that you have a safe and easy access to and from work or to and from your grocery store," Hammoud said.

City enforces snow emergency with hundreds of tickets Watch the report on the ticketing: Dearborn issues more than 500 parking citations during snow emergency

The city's commitment to winter safety extends beyond sidewalks to street clearing. During the most recent snow emergency declared on Sunday, Dearborn police issued more than 500 citations by Monday morning to vehicles blocking snowplows.

"We have 300 miles of roadway in the city of Dearborn. We have to plow all of those streets. And so we need to get the cars off the street so that we can get emergency vehicles down the road, and that's so people can safely drive," said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin.

Lifelong Dearborn resident Darryl Bartlett learned about the city's zero-tolerance approach the hard way, receiving a ticket last year after parking for just 25 minutes during a snow emergency.

"I totally see the benefit of moving the vehicles off the street, especially this street. Garrison is a secondary Main Street, so they plow it very quickly. They try to get this street open in case anything happens on Michigan Avenue," Bartlett said.

The enforcement isn't limited to vehicles. Residents must also clear their sidewalks and driveways within 24 hours of a snow emergency. During last week's snow emergency, about 100 citations were issued to businesses and homeowners for unshoveled sidewalks.

Communication improvements and weather challenges

Mayor Hammoud said the city has improved its communication efforts around snow emergencies, using sirens, social media, and text messages to keep residents informed. The city deploys more than 20 trucks for plowing and salting operations.

However, extremely cold temperatures present challenges for pre-treatment efforts.

"Right now in this cold of temperature, the salt below 20 degrees is actually ineffective and inefficient. And so we don't want to just pour a bunch of salt on the road and then come out and plow it off when we're plowing the snow," Hammoud said.

For residents without parking spaces during snow emergencies, the city offers help finding alternatives.

Rehandorf later texted to say he's already seeing improvements and thanked the city for listening. Mayor Hammoud encourages residents to reach out with their concerns.

"This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy."

At the Epiphany Glass Studio in Pontiac, art takes on a deeply personal meaning as owner and artist April Wagner transforms cremation ashes into stunning memorial glass sculptures.

Watch Faraz's story in the video player below

Pontiac glass studio turns ashes into memorial art to help families heal from loss

"Very interestingly, human or pet bone material is super similar in chemical makeup to the makeup of our glass formula," Wagner said. "So we're able to take cremation ash and incorporate it into the glass to create one-of-a-kind artworks."

The studio has been crafting art of various shapes and sizes for years, but Wagner recently took her craft in this meaningful direction. Each piece is handcrafted, with a small portion of ashes fused into molten glass, whether ordered online or made in person during special workshops.

Wagner calls the process "healing through beauty," and for many clients, it provides a way to channel grief into something lasting and beautiful.

"People tell me that it's great to have their loved one immortalized in a piece of art or to be able to view instead of just an urn with a bunch of ash in it, something colorful," Wagner said. "If it's the shape of a heart or a flower, or in the case of a pet, if it looks like your cat with the coloration, it just really keeps that memory alive."

For Lish Dorset, creating a memorial piece for her beloved cat Ronnie became part of her healing journey. Ronnie was the first cat Dorset adopted as an adult when she moved out on her own.

"She and I were together on our own for a couple of years, and then I met my husband, she met my husband, and we were just kind of a little trio for the longest time," Dorset said.

When Ronnie passed away at age 13 on Dorset's birthday, the loss hit particularly hard.

"I wasn't expecting to spend my birthday that way, and so it was really, really difficult," Dorset said.

As part of her healing process, Dorset created a glass piece in person at the studio.

"It does make me a little bit emotional when I see it, but it's just a little piece of her and it feels like a little bit of her spirit," Dorset said. "It's just kind of moving throughout the glass piece."

Studio Manager Shannon Teeple explains that the creation process takes about 15 minutes. The studio offers an entire line of memorial pieces available on their website in different styles and colors, and twice a year, provides a unique opportunity for clients to create pieces themselves with the artists.

The workshops bring together people from different walks of life, each with their own story to tell and person to celebrate.

"When I came for the workshop that day, everyone came from a different walk of life, had a different story to tell, and a different person to celebrate," Dorset said.

For Dorset, the experience provided the closure she needed.

"It really was. And now I get to see this every day. And it's just a happy reminder," she said.

From the heat of the furnace to the cool touch of glass, these creations serve as far more than dcor they're bridges between goodbye and forever, helping families hold onto memories in a tangible, beautiful way.

To learn more, visit the studio's website at this link.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.