A truck driver was arrested Friday and charged with manslaughter in connection with a March 22 school bus crash in Texas that killed a man and a woman.
Jerry Hernandez, 42, was arrested without incident at a residence in Bastrop County, said Sergeant John Rodger. Deon Cockrell of the Texas Department of Public Safety said, according to the Associated Press.
His bail is currently set at $500,000, according to the Bastrop County Jail. Hernandez does not yet have an attorney.
Dashcam video shows cement truck plowing into Texas school bus, killing boy and man
Texas police interviewed Hernandez last week while he was hospitalized for treatment, KVUE reported, citing court documents. According to reports, Hernandez admitted to smoking marijuana the night before the accident.
According to FOX Austin, the fatal crash occurred around 2 p.m. near Texas Route 21 and Caldwell Road in Bastrop County, a rural road outside Austin. (KTBC)
Hernandez also reportedly told police that he had only slept for about three hours before the incident. take cocaine He also refused to provide a blood sample for analysis, according to court documents.
Texas school bus crashes while returning from school trip, killing man and boy
According to FOX Austin, the fatal crash occurred around 2 p.m. near Texas Route 21 and Caldwell Road in Bastrop County, a rural road outside Austin.
The school bus was carrying more than 40 pre-school students from Tom Green Elementary School returning from a field trip to the zoo. There were 11 children and adults on the bus.
Dashcam footage has been released showing a cement truck plowing into a school bus carrying pre-school students returning from a trip to the zoo last week, killing a boy and a man. (Related news organizations)
The crash ultimately killed 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, who was on the bus, and Ryan Wallace, 33, who was driving another car nearby that was struck by the truck. According to the Austin American-Statesman, Mr. Wallace was a doctoral student at the University of Texas.
Driver dies in fiery collision with New York school bus returning from field trip: video
Four people were airlifted from the scene in critical condition after the crash. Six other people were seriously injured and taken to hospital by ambulance.
Video released by the Hays Consolidated Independent School District showed other drivers getting out of their cars and racing toward the bus.
Rescuers were at the scene last week when a cement truck crashed into a school bus carrying pre-school students returning from a trip to the zoo, killing a boy and a man. (Related news organizations)
The crash is still under investigation, and authorities have not yet said how fast the vehicle was traveling at the time of the crash. The school district said the bus did not have seat belts, according to the Associated Press.
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FOX News’ Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
