TLDR
Former Milwaukee bus driver Montrell Pharm was sentenced to two years in prison and three years of supervision after a Christmas 2024 crash in which his MCTS bus struck and killed 79-year-old pedestrian Robert Clemons while he walked beside a parked truck.
A Milwaukee County judge has now imposed a short prison term for a Christmas night bus crash that killed 79-year-old Robert Clemons in Milwaukee. On-board cameras, a long work schedule, and a dispute over what the driver knew at the moment of impact shaped the outcome.
According to court records, 53-year-old Montrell Pharm pleaded no contest in January to homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and reckless driving causing great bodily harm. Judge David Swanson sentenced him to two years in prison on each count, to run at the same time, followed by three years of extended supervision.
Charges and Christmas Night Crash
The criminal complaint describes officers arriving near North 47th Street and Villard Avenue to find a damaged Milwaukee County Transit System bus and a pickup truck in the roadway, along with a blood trail leading to the stopped bus. Clemons and his grandson had reportedly been working on the parked truck just before the collision.
Investigators wrote that video from a camera facing the road showed the bus driving largely in a bike lane, striking one parked vehicle and pushing it into another before hitting Clemons. The complaint says the bus briefly stopped, then continued for roughly a block while Clemons remained under the vehicle, until bystanders signaled the driver to stop; Clemons died at the scene.
Video Evidence and Fatigue Claims
A second camera, pointed at the driver, allegedly showed Pharm repeatedly closing his eyes while the bus was both stopped and moving. According to Law & Crime, the footage also appeared to show him making small steering adjustments with his eyes closed shortly before the crash.
In a custodial interview described in the complaint, Pharm told investigators he had been working four consecutive 14-hour shifts, with one 8.5-hour shift between them, and had slept about six hours before the crash. He reportedly mentioned being pre-diabetic, uninsured, and not properly medicated, and suggested his body might have shut down, but also recalled believing he had a clear path ahead.
Sentence, Accountability, and Transit Oversight
At the sentencing hearing, local television coverage reported that prosecutors played the driver-facing video and emphasized that Pharm did not immediately get out to check what he had hit. They argued that the lack of prompt response increased the seriousness of his negligence and the harm to Clemons and his family.
Pharm expressed remorse in court, according to those reports, and has already lost his job with the transit system. Under Wisconsin law, homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle is a felony that can carry a significantly longer prison term than the two years imposed, highlighting the discretion judges retain when weighing individual blame, work conditions, and community safety.
The case treats falling asleep at the wheel as criminal negligence when it leads to a death, especially for professional drivers responsible for passengers and pedestrians. It also leaves broader questions about driver fatigue, scheduling practices, and medical screening to transit agencies and regulators, rather than the criminal courtroom alone.
