'It's usually the innocent ones that are taken:' Family creates memorial for man they say died in crash involving MCTS bus

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- There are still shards of broken glass and remains of vehicle parts at the intersection of 35th and Wisconsin after a fatal accident involving a car and a Milwaukee County Transit System bus late Saturday night.

Officials said one person died and nine others were injured when the driver of a car hit a bus that was going east.

The driver of the car was taken into custody. One of their passengers was pronounced deceased on scene, and the other was treated for injuries.

According to Milwaukee police, seven people on the bus had minor injuries while the bus driver remained unharmed.

On Monday afternoon, dozens gathered by the scene holding balloons, candles and flowers.

"It's just sad, a life taken too short," said Tina Biskupski.

Biskupski told CBS 58 she was the aunt of a 31-year-old man named Michael, who she said was the victim in Saturday's crash.

"He was funny, kind, outgoing," Biskupski said. "He did what he could to help people."

Biskupski said her nephew was "supposed to start a new job" soon and that the rest of the family was grieving his loss.

“You never would believe you have to bury your child before yourself," Biskupski said. “They don’t pay attention to how they drive, you know, there’s so many cars out here, so many people on the road, it’s like people don’t care about each other anymore nowadays.”

CBS 58 also spoke with Sky Z. Capriolo, the supervisor for District 15, where the crash occurred, who agreed there is a "reckless driving epidemic."

“We all need to be held accountable for our actions when we get behind the wheel of a car," Capriolo said. “Anytime you have something like this happen that could be preventable, and people die or are injured, it hits me in the gut every single time.”

Capriolo added that drivers have a responsibility to keep themselves and others safe while on the road.

“It feels like that expectation is being eroded a little bit with the slew of reckless driving incidents that we have in Milwaukee," Capriolo said.

Saturday's crash also marks the second fatal incident involving an MCTS bus in less than a week.

On Thursday, April 18, one person died and five more were injured near the area of 35th and Capitol.

“It’s sad that it’s usually the innocent ones that are taken," Biskupski said. "It needs to stop."

A GoFundMe was created to help with Michael's funeral costs. To view it, click here.