Fatal crash in Milwaukee on I-43; The trial against the defendant is scheduled for Monday

MILWAUKEE – A man who authorities say intentionally drove on the wrong side of the highway and killed two people will be in court Monday, Sept. 30.

For Nichael Bryant and Shontia Hernandez, the last four years have been a lot to overcome.

Bryant's fiancé is one of the people killed and another injured after a man identified as 34-year-old Jerry Anderson Jr. intentionally drove the wrong way on I-43 because he said he thought someone was chasing him. It happened in June 2020 near Chase Ave.

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“It was just devastating,” Bryant said. “There will never be closure, but the bottom line is that when you do something so terrible to people as an adult, you have to be held accountable.”

Hernandez was seriously injured in the accident. Since then she has had to undergo several operations.

“I had to walk, talk and learn everything again. I’m still recovering,” Hernandez said. “My whole body was put in a cast because I had broken 90% of my bones. It was just that I couldn't remember anything. It was just a traumatic change.”

Anderson was charged with two counts of first-degree manslaughter, one count of negligent bodily harm and two counts of knowingly driving with a revoked license.

When Anderson was interviewed by investigators, “he admitted to driving the Toyota during the accident. He said he knew he was driving the wrong way on the highway and that he did it on purpose.”

According to a criminal complaint, his statement reads as follows:

“…shortly before the accident, in the area of ​​11th Street and Rogers Street, an unknown car containing one or more unknown persons began following his car for unknown reasons. He accelerated and turned losing the car, but it continued to follow him. At some point the car hit the back of his car and spun his car around. These actions by the other car led him to believe that the other car's occupant or occupants were trying to kill him.

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“The hardest thing for me so far, besides my own grief and pain, is my son,” Bryant said. “When you remove people from this earth, it affects not only the person who died, but also many other people. Friends, family, people, neighbors, loved ones financially, emotionally and mentally.”

Anderson was taken into custody on February 1, 2024.

“I have older children and they will actually be in court tomorrow,” Hernandez said. “They want justice for what happened to me.”