MILWAUKEE — As a longtime Milwaukee County Transit System bus driver, James Macon says he’s always been aware of the risk reckless driving presented on the job. But he never thought he’d wind up being the victim of a crash while walking across the street.
"Maybe God has some other plans for me and that's why he let me survive this,” Macon said.
Macon spoke with TMJ4’s Ben Jordan from his hospital bed as he recovers from bruises and several broken bones.
“People are telling me I could have been dead,” Macon said.
Milwaukee police say a driver disregarded a red light at Sherman and Townsend on Feb. 2, resulting in a t-bone crash that ended with Macon being struck and thrown into the air.
It was all caught on home surveillance video. Macon asked TMJ4 News to air the footage in its entirety to highlight the dangers of running red lights.
"I want people to see that I'm blessed and show how violent that was,” Macon said.
Macon says he had just finished his shift as a bus driver and was crossing the street to get to his car to go home. Instead, Macon was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.
"All I remember is hearing the bang and after I heard the bang I was in the street,” he said.
As an MCTS bus driver, Macon says he’s had a front-row seat to reckless driving behavior becoming more prevalent in Milwaukee.
"This is something I've been talking about for months and months and months the way people out here are driving crazy,” he said. "Something's got to change."
He believes the problem can only be tamed if more dangerous drivers are held accountable in criminal court.
“We've got laws, follow the laws and enforce the laws,” he said. "This is not going to end right now and I got lucky."
As Macon awaits surgery to help him get back on his feet, he hopes drivers who regularly run red lights think about the harm it can cause to others caught in their path.
"The next person is not going to get lucky and I don't think nobody's going to really take it serious until it happens to somebody in their family,” he said.
