MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee man has been charged in a deadly MCTS bus crash that left a 79-year-old man dead and another person injured.
The crash occurred on Dec. 25, 2024, shortly after 11 p.m. near 47th and Villard. The incident killed the 79-year-old man and sent a 37-year-old to the hospital. It also damaged multiple vehicles, both which were legally parked.
Watch: Surveillance footage of fatal MCTS crash
Montrell Pharm, 52, who was driving the bus, faces charges of homicide by negligent operation of a vehicle and reckless driving causing great bodily harm, according to a criminal complaint filed Jan. 30.
The complaint states that a surveillance video from the MCTS bus shows Pharm as the driver, wearing an MCTS jacket. It alleges that at various points in the video, Pharm appears to be sleeping or has his eyes closed while the bus is both stopped and moving.
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Previous incident
The complaint also notes that MCTS records show Pharm was involved in a “preventable accident” on Oct. 15, 2024, while operating an MCTS bus at W. Burleigh and N. 76th St. Pharm reportedly appeared to fall asleep, causing the bus to rear-end a stationary vehicle at a red light, according to the complaint.
When interviewed by detectives, Pharm said that on Dec. 25, 2024, he worked from about 9:49 a.m. to 12:22 a.m. with a break from 2 to 4 p.m. He added that since Monday, Dec. 22, 2024, he had been working 14-hour days, with one 8 1/2-hour shift in between, and that he had slept six hours the night before, according to the complaint.
Watch: Milwaukee man charged in deadly MCTS bus crash near 47th and Villard
MCTS's statement regarding the deadly crash
However, according to a release from MCTS in response to the charges, records show Pharm was off work for three days, from Dec. 20 to Dec. 22. The release also said that leading up to his shift on the 25th, he had approximately nine hours of rest before working about 4 hours of voluntary overtime, followed by a 2-hour rest, then part of his regular shift.
The release also states that Pharm had undergone fatigue training and was instructed on what to do if he feels too tired to operate a bus.
You can read more of their statement below:
“If an operator experiences fatigue, they are trained and expected to report fatigue and take themselves off duty but unfortunately Mr. Pharm fell short of that expectation. According to Mr. Pharm’s official work record, his alleged statement regarding multiple 14-hour days leading up to the incident is inaccurate. The record indicates he was off work for three days, from December 20 through December 22. Leading up to his shift on December 25, Mr. Pharm had approximately nine hours of rest before working approximately 4-hours of voluntary overtime, followed by a 2-hour rest and he then worked part of his regularly scheduled shift. As the complaint states, Mr. Pharm was involved in a prior incident in October. Following that prior incident, he was retrained, coached and issued a 3-day suspension. Beyond that additional training, the December 25 incident occurred less than a week after Mr. Pharm attended a highly-specialized, three-day workshop addressing emotional wellness, including the importance of sleep and showing up for work well-rested.”
What's next
Pharm is scheduled to appear in court for an initial hearing at 1:15 p.m. on Feb. 20, according to court records.
This is a developing story.
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