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A Milwaukee bus driver fell asleep at the wheel and ran over into an elderly pedestrian, dragging him for a block before he died in front of his grandson on Christmas Day.
Montrell Pharm, 53, was sentenced to two years in prison after prosecutors played a clip in court Thursday showing the ex-Milwaukee County Transit System driver dozing in the driver’s seat before he ran down Robert Clemons, 79, around 11 p.m. on Dec. 25, 2024.
The video shows his bus crashing into a line of cars parked on the side of the road before hitting Clemons and his grandson, who were in the road fixing their truck, according to Fox6 Now.
Both were hit and Clemons was dragged underneath the vehicle as his grandson chased down the bus — but was unable to catch it because he suffered a broken arm and leg.
Another pedestrian caught the driver’s attention and got him to stop about a block away.
When police arrived, an officer saw a trail of blood “that led on an angle to where the bus had stopped.”
“The bus was observed to have damage to its front end and had a broken passenger side windshield,” the officer noted in the complaint.
Clemons was pulled out from under the bus by first responders and declared dead at the scene.
Video on board the bus that night showed Pharm sleeping or closing his eyes both even while the bus was moving.
Pharm told police that he had been working 14-hour days since Monday, Dec. 22, and was working on just six hours of sleep the night before the accident.
He claimed was “looking straight ahead, and he had a clear path, and that he was good” before he suddenly felt the impact.
Pharm pleaded no contest on Jan. 20 to charges of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and reckless driving causing great bodily harm.
In addition to two years in prison, Pharm was also sentenced to an additional three years of extended supervision upon his release.
“There aren’t enough words to say to begin to heal your pain,” Pharm told the victim’s family in a statement.
“I pray and sincerely ask for your forgiveness. This was an unintentional accident.”
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