A Milwaukee bus driver has been sentenced to two years in prison after falling asleep at the wheel and killing a 79-year-old pedestrian on Christmas Day 2024. Montrell Pharm pleaded no contest to charges of homicide by negligent operation and reckless driving causing great bodily harm. The incident occurred when his bus struck Robert Clemons near North 47th Street and Villard Avenue.
On December 25, 2024, just after 11 p.m., Montrell Pharm, a 53-year-old driver for the Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS), was operating a bus that veered into a bike lane before colliding with parked vehicles and a pedestrian at the intersection of North 47th Street and Villard Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Robert Clemons, 79, was walking with his grandson near a truck they had been repairing when the bus struck them. Clemons was run over and died at the scene after being removed from under the bus. His grandson sustained injuries and attempted to stop the vehicle but was unable to do so immediately; other pedestrians flagged it down about a block away.
Police found the bus with front-end damage and a broken passenger-side windshield, along with a trail of blood leading to the stopped vehicle. Onboard camera footage reviewed by investigators showed Pharm repeatedly closing his eyes or falling asleep while the bus was stopped and moving. The video captured the bus pushing one parked vehicle into another before striking the pedestrian, then veering into the main lane and stopping near North 48th Street and Villard.
In a custodial interview, Pharm described working four 14-hour shifts with limited sleep, including only six hours the night before the crash. He mentioned being pre-diabetic without health insurance or medication, suggesting his body may have shut down. Pharm lost his job with MCTS following the incident.
In late January 2026, Pharm pleaded no contest to one count each of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and reckless driving causing great bodily harm. On March 13, 2026, Milwaukee County Court Judge David Swanson sentenced him to two years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently, followed by three years of extended supervision.
During the sentencing hearing, Pharm addressed Clemons's family, saying, "There aren't enough words to say to begin to heal your pain. I pray and sincerely ask for your forgiveness. This was an unintentional accident."
Prosecutors played the bus footage, highlighting Pharm's failure to check for impacts. One prosecutor noted, "What is concerning from the state's perspective, among other things, is there isn't a movement to get out of the vehicle to check to see what has gone on. 'Have I hit a person?'"
