Bus driver suffers extreme fear after being beaten on the job

MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Phil Rouse, the 61-year-old bus driver who was beaten while on the job, says his life has changed dramatically since the unprovoked incident.

Rouse has been a Milwaukee County bus driver for five years. The night of May 8th, he was attacked and severely beaten by 27-year-old Corian Morgan.

"I wake up every morning hoping I just had a bad nightmare," says Rouse.

As Morgan was exiting the bus he allegedly punched Rouse repeatedly in the head, causing him to lose consciousness.

"I turn my head to say goodbye to the person leaving the bus, and see stars," recalls Rouse. "I have a phobia right now of people coming up behind me."

Rouse also suffered a concussion and now struggles with stuttering and memory loss.

Milwaukee County Transit System spokesperson Jacqueline Janz says changes are being made to buses.

"One of the things that we are doing is installing driver shields," says Janz.

Fifty-five new buses with shields will be arriving in the county soon. Janz is hopeful that the entire fleet of 420 buses will have the safety device by the end of the year.

"I'm very, very concerned about the safety of all other bus drives," says Janz.

Morgan has been charged with two counts of felony battery including substantial battery and battery to a public transit operator. He is facing up  to seven years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines.