Disturbing Details Emerge After Concrete Truck Swerves Directly Into School Bus

The operator of a concrete truck involved in a collision with a school bus in Texas has confessed to using cocaine and marijuana within 24 hours before the accident.

Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, a pre-K student at Tom Green Elementary School and Ryan Wallace, a postgraduate student at the University of Texas, were tragically killed in the incident, as reported by USA Today. Thirty-two individuals were transported to local hospitals, according to Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services.

A YouTube video provides a visual account of the crash.

The driver, Hernandez, admitted to using marijuana at approximately 10 p.m. on March 21 and consuming cocaine around 1 a.m. on March 22, the day of the crash. He also mentioned having only three hours of sleep the night before, as per KXAN-TV.

In his statement to authorities, Hernandez explained that he veered into the bus’s lane due to sudden braking by an SUV in front of him. The collision involved a bus carrying 44 pre-K students from Tom Green Elementary School and 11 adults, returning from the Capital of Texas Zoo in Bastrop County. The impact led to the bus rolling over.

The court documents highlight that Hernandez had clear visibility ahead of him, with the option to swerve to the right along State Highway 21 if needed.

The Texas Department of Public Safety's crash reconstruction team is actively investigating the incident.

Notably, the bus involved did not have seat belts, as acknowledged by the Hays School District, which mentioned that most other buses are equipped with seat belts.

KXAN reported on Hernandez's history, noting a refusal for a reasonable suspicion test on Sept. 2, 2020, which should have triggered a referral to a Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) for evaluation.

Although subsequent tests indicated a "prohibited" status for Hernandez with the company he worked for, the state system listed him as "eligible."

Court records indicated that due to Hernandez's role operating a concrete pump truck in intrastate commerce, he was exempted from certain regulations.