Milwaukee bus driver ran over elderly man while asleep at the wheel on Christmas Day

On Christmas Day, tragedy struck when a Milwaukee bus driver, Montrell Pharm, fell asleep at the wheel and ran over an elderly pedestrian, Robert Clemons, dragging him for a block before he passed away in front of his grandson.

Pharm, 53, was sentenced to two years in prison after prosecutors presented a video in court showing him dozing off in the driver’s seat before the fatal incident occurred on December 25, 2024.

The footage revealed Pharm’s bus crashing into parked cars before hitting Clemons and his grandson, who were fixing their truck on the road, as reported by Fox6 Now.

Both Clemons and his grandson were struck, with Clemons being dragged underneath the bus while his grandson, who suffered a broken arm and leg, attempted to chase down the bus in vain.

The driver was only stopped when another pedestrian caught his attention about a block away from the scene. Police found a trail of blood leading to where the bus had come to a halt, with visible damage to its front end and a broken passenger side windshield.

First responders declared Clemons dead at the scene after pulling him out from under the bus.

Pharm, who had been working long hours with minimal sleep, claimed he was looking straight ahead and had a clear path before feeling the impact.

He pleaded no contest to charges of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and reckless driving causing great bodily harm on January 20.

In addition to his two-year prison sentence, Pharm will also serve three years of extended supervision upon his release.

In a statement to the victim’s family, Pharm expressed his deep remorse and asked for forgiveness, emphasizing that the incident was an unintentional accident.