concrete truck driver Admitted He reportedly smoked marijuana and took cocaine before the horrific crash that claimed the lives of a child and an adult in Texas.
The accident occurred on March 22, when a bus carrying preschoolers from Tom Green Elementary School was returning from a field trip to the Capital of Texas Zoo in Bastrop County, outside Austin.
Security video from the school bus shows the moment the truck veers into oncoming traffic on State Route 21, hits the school bus and rolls over.
The 5-year-old who died in the crash was identified as Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, and the 33-year-old boy who died was identified as Ryan Wallace.
Officials said a total of 53 people were injured in the accident, but did not provide details on the condition of each person.
The driver of the concrete truck was 42-year-old Jerry Hernandez. told the investigator He said he swerved to avoid the car in front of him, which reportedly braked suddenly. Authorities determined he could have swerved in a different direction instead of driving into traffic.
Hernandez was arrested Friday on a warrant for criminally negligent homicide, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He also had a warrant for an unrelated bond violation.
According to an arrest affidavit, Hernandez admitted to smoking marijuana around 10 p.m. the night before the crash and taking cocaine around 1 a.m. the same day. He also allegedly told police that he had only slept for three hours before the accident.
seat belt acceleration
According to the school district, the school bus involved in the accident did not have seat belts. Hays CISD Superintendent Dr. Eric Wright said the district is moving toward equipping all buses with seat belts sooner than previously planned.
“In the next three to four weeks, all of our buses will be equipped with seat belts, which will mean all of our buses will have seat belts,” Wright told KXAN. ” he said.
“Then, with the permission of the Board of Education, we will accelerate the work of the Facilities and Deposit Monitoring Committee to replace all spare buses with buses equipped with seat belts,” he added.
The school district also praised the school bus driver, saying her change of direction likely saved many lives.
a gofundme It was established to help pay for Ulisses’ funeral expenses.
Video of the incident is below.
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