Tragedy struck Buda, Texas, last Friday when a Hays CISD school bus, returning from a field trip, collided with a concrete truck resulting in two fatalities—a child from Tom Green Elementary School and a man in a following vehicle. Hector Campos, a father whose daughter was on the bus, shared his harrowing experience "It was the worst feeling in the world. You never think you would get one, and for me, my heart sunk right away," as reported by KXAN.
Campos' daughter came away from the accident with only a few scrapes, but the aftermath has been emotionally taxing for many families involved. "It's just been an emotional wreck," Campos said, according to KXAN. Hays CISD has yet to release an official statement on the current status of the two employees and two students who, as of Sunday evening, remain hospitalized.
Another devastating account comes from a mother, as per KVUE, recalling the moment she learned that the bus transporting her son had been involved in a fatal accident. "All I was thinking was just him flying around the bus because the bus didn’t have seat belts," she recounted. Her son is currently recovering physically and mentally from the trauma, and both her children are now fearful of riding a bus.
In light of the incident, Tom Green Elementary School's principal Jennifer Hanna announced that Monday classes would be canceled to provide access to crisis and trauma counselors. Meanwhile, feelings of community grief and the need to commemorate the lives lost have led to the creation of a roadside memorial, with one local mother and teacher, Celia Oosterhuis, saying, "We wanted to start something so that these people could be commemorated and just know that people are thinking of them and with them."
