A former Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) bus driver has been charged with homicide by negligent operation of vehicle and reckless driving causing great bodily harm after a fatal crash on Christmas Day left 79-year-old Robert Clemons dead. As reported by WISN 12 News, Montrell Pharm is accused of falling asleep at the wheel just before the collision at North 47th Street and West Villard Avenue, where Clemons was attending to a broken-down truck alongside his brother.

The criminal complaint indicates that surveillance footage appears to show Pharm driving with his eyes closed moments before the incident. Adding to Pharm's history of vehicular incidents, this was not the first accident, as court records highlighted by The Journal Sentinel reveal he was involved in another crash two months earlier.

Prosecutors stated that Pharm was travelling in a bike lane on Villard Avenue on the night of the tragedy and had closed his eyes, seemingly dozing off. Despite his assertion that he "feels ashamed by what happened," stating that he "was looking straight ahead, and thought he had a clear path, and that he was good," as per a criminal complaint cited by WISN 12 News, the accident raises serious concerns about the dangers of driver fatigue. Pharm, who had been working a 14-hour shift that day, allegedly had been at the helm for less than a year when the fatal collision occurred.

Montrell Pharm is now facing two felonies connected to the tragic accident after being charged with negligent operation of a vehicle that led to bodily harm. "He's now charged with two felonies connected to the crash for negligent driving and causing harm," CBS 58 reported.

While MCTS did not respond to a request for comment yesterday, they did confirm that Pharm had volunteered for Christmas Day overtime and had been given a two-hour break before his evening shift. The heartbreaking loss of Clemons has left a void, as his grandson, Antwan Jackson, recalled to WISN 12 News, "My grandpa, he was always there for anybody."