This browser does not support the Video element.
Milwaukee man accused; pedestrian struck at 87th and Hampton
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police officers were dispatched to a crash near 87th and Hampton early on March 16. A pedestrian, identified as 54-year-old Bridgette Charles, had been struck.
MILWAUKEE - A 21-year-old Milwaukee man is now charged in connection with a crash on the city's northwest side in March. The accused is Devonte Driver – and he faces a charge of reckless driving causing great bodily harm.
According to the criminal complaint, Milwaukee police officers were dispatched to a crash near 87th and Hampton early on March 16. A pedestrian, identified as 54-year-old Bridgette Charles, had been struck.
Pedestrian struck at 87th and Hampton, Milwaukee
An officer who arrived on the scene first spotted a 2012 blue Ford Fusion was on the front lawn of a residence. The Ford Fusion appeared to have struck a tree before striking Charles, the complaint says. Charles was laying in the roadway – breathing but unable to communicate. She was taken to the hospital where she was treated for multiple serious injuries.
"She’s just like me, and unfortunately it’s so sad that this ever happened to me," said Liz Summers, Charles' daughter. "I can’t be OK knowing that my mom is in the hospital."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Charles said she was heading to her morning shift as a nurse that March morning.
Bridgette Charles, Liz Summers
"It changed dramatically from being the one outgoing going to work, taking care of my patients to make them happy, to being a patient myself," Charles said.
Charles has been in the hospital ever since.
Bridgette Charles, Liz Summers
The driver of the Ford Fusion was on the scene – and identified as the defendant, Devonte Driver. He "admitted to driving the Ford Fusion and that he was on his way to work. The defendant stated that the pedestrian crossed the street out of nowhere, and he tried to avoid missing her but struck her. The defendant admitted knowing he had a suspended license but that he has an occupational license that allows him to drive for work," the complaint says.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX6 News app for iOS or Android
Court documents say the crash occurred a few minutes before the approved hours for the defendant’s occupational license.
Devonte Driver
Investigators from the Crash Reconstruction Unit secured a warrant to recover data from the restraint control module (RCM) of the blue Ford Fusion that the defendant was driving. Officer
Robinson was able to recover data from just seconds prior to the crash. An analysis of that data revealed that at the point of impact with the pedestrian, the Ford Fusion was traveling 56 mph. The posted speed limit in that area is 35 mph.
Police say this is the only crash to occur at 87th and Hampton in the last two years.
A GoFundMe has been established for Bridgette Charles.
This browser does not support the GoFundMe element.