Jae Morgan, 33, is learning to walk again and rebuild a life that changed in a split second on Interstate 43. The Milwaukee mother survived a wrong-way, head-on crash at the Marquette Interchange on Oct. 26, 2025, but the 22-week-old baby she was carrying did not. After roughly a month in the hospital with broken bones and burns, Morgan has gone from a wheelchair to a walker and says she has already forgiven the driver who hit her. She also hopes to meet the Milwaukee County sheriff’s deputies who dragged her out of her burning car.
Speaking with WISN 12 News, Morgan said she was driving home from her third-shift job at Amazon when prosecutors say Jorge Alvarez Mathizuma got onto I-43 from the Plankinton Avenue ramp going the wrong direction and slammed into her vehicle. WISN 12 News aired body-cam video that shows deputies smashing her windows and cutting through airbags as flames spread, and reported that Morgan was about 22 weeks pregnant at the time.
Crash, rescue and investigation
Local coverage from the scene shows a chaotic stretch of highway filled with smoke, crushed metal and shouting first responders as they fought to reach people trapped in the wreckage at the Marquette Interchange. TMJ4 obtained additional body-cam footage of deputies breaking into mangled vehicles and cutting through airbags to free occupants, and reported that the wrong-way driver had passed multiple “Wrong Way” and “Do Not Enter” signs before entering the interstate. Authorities say several other people were hurt in the crash and that the speed and coordination of the rescue likely prevented even more deaths.
Charges and legal fallout
Prosecutors arrested Jorge Alvarez Mathizuma and charged him with multiple counts connected to the crash, including first-degree reckless homicide of an unborn child and homicide by intoxicated use of a vehicle, according to WTMJ. Court records cited by the station list his blood-alcohol level at about 0.1569, nearly twice Wisconsin’s legal limit, and show his bond set at 100,000 dollars. If he is convicted on the full slate of charges, he faces decades in prison.
Recovery and community support
Morgan, who has two older children at home, says the crash uprooted almost everything about her day-to-day life. She has had to move since the collision and has not been able to return to work while she recovers. WISN 12 News reports that she launched an online fundraiser to help cover medical bills and basic expenses. She named her son Tyme, and told the station his due date was Sunday, Feb. 22. Morgan said she chose to forgive the driver “probably like two days after” the crash so she would not be consumed by anger and could focus on healing and caring for the children she is raising.
Why this matters
Wrong-way crashes remain a stubborn and deadly problem in Wisconsin. TMJ4 reports that the state ranks among the highest in the nation for fatal wrong-way collisions and that a 2024 Wrong Way Driver Task Force called for stronger countermeasures, including brighter and better-placed signs, electronic detection systems and clearer pavement markings. Milwaukee County has since installed wrong-way alert systems at many interstate ramps, and officials continue to urge drivers who spot a wrong-way vehicle to immediately pull over, keep a safe distance and call 911.
