- A Milwaukee mother reunited with deputies who saved her from a crash.
- Jae Morgan, pregnant during the crash, tragically lost her unborn baby Tyme.
- The suspected drunken driver, Jorge Alvarez Mathizuma, faces charges and awaits trial.
MILWAUKEE — A Milwaukee mother, who survived a wrong-way crash, reunited with the deputies who saved her life Friday.
A suspected drunken driver slammed head-on into Jae Morgan's car last October on Interstate 43 near Greenfield Avenue. Morgan, 22 weeks pregnant at the time, suffered serious injuries, including broken bones and burns. Tragically, her unborn baby, whom she named Tyme, died.
Since then, she's been on a mission.
"I really would like to meet the officers that saved my life," she said last month.
Friday, WISN 12 News helped make that goal a reality, organizing a visit with Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputies Kendall Pumphrey and Ryan Downs.
"I really truly appreciate everything that you guys did for me that night," Morgan told the two deputies when they visited her at home.
The crash is one that sticks with the deputies.
"I seen flames starting, so I ran up to the cars," Pumphrey said.
"I remember pulling her arm and telling her, you have to get out the vehicle. You have to get out the vehicle," Downs said.
Despite suffering a minor injury from glass lodged in his hand, Downs, just roughly one week removed from his field training at the time, was relieved to have helped Morgan escape the fiery wreckage.
"This one kind of sits on me a little bit heavier because I didn't know that she was pregnant," Pumphrey said. "It was kind of bittersweet, you know, thinking that you know, everything went well. And then there's always something that doesn't go well."
Morgan is grateful to be alive with her two older children by her side.
"Thank you for saving my mom," 9-year-old Jaedem told the deputies.
The deputies remain humble, but the reunion was meaningful for all involved.
"It's a really good moment that's going to stick with me for the rest of my life," Downs told WISN 12 News after the reunion.
"Once seeing them and seeing their faces, I was just really relieved, and I just found instant comfort, and I felt whole," Morgan said.
Morgan continues to recover from the crash. She's started an online fundraiser to help in those efforts. In the last couple of weeks, Morgan has been able to ditch the walker and walk on her own. She's also been writing a cookbook throughout her recovery.
Prosecutors have identified Jorge Alvarez Mathizuma as the drunken driver who crashed into Morgan's car. He is charged with reckless homicide of an unborn child and intoxicated use of a vehicle. He's in custody awaiting trial.
