Tragedy struck Hays CISD last Friday when a school bus, carrying 44 pre-K students and 11 adults from Tom Green Elementary School, was involved in a fatal crash with a concrete truck, leaving a young student and a motorist dead. The school district, adhering to the Texas Public Information Act, released dashcam footage showing the horrific moment of the collision, in which a concrete truck veered across the centerline and slammed into the bus amidst its return from a zoo field trip.

The heart-wrenching videos, shared by FOX San Antonio, captures the crash in less than 20 seconds - where the truck crosses into oncoming traffic and makes contact with the bus as someone screams before the bus begins to roll, leading to chaos, with the sounds of children's screams subsequently edited from the footage out of respect for those whose lives are forever marked by the catastrophe. Other motorists were seen rushing to the aid of the victims in the immediate aftermath, displaying a quick response in the face of disaster, with many bystanders pulling over to help.

Five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya lost his life on the bus, and 33-year-old UT student Ryan Wallace, driving a Dodge Charger, was pronounced dead following the accident. Hays ISD, in a letter, praised the actions of the bus driver and the adults on board for their efforts, which they believe saved lives.“We will be forever indebted to her, and the other adults on the bus, who, though injured, placed the children above themselves and their own well-being. Dr. Wright said today of the bus driver and the other adults that, ‘their actions saved lives,’”  Superintendent Eric Wright stated, according to KSAT. Despite the severity of the accident, all students have been released from the hospital, while an early childhood education teacher is facing a long road to recovery due to serious injuries sustained.

Complicating safety measures, the bus, a 2011 model involved in the accident, lacked seatbelts which have been mandated for new buses since 2017. Hays school district spokesperson Tim Savoy noted this absence and implied how the presence of seatbelts in newer buses represents a shift towards increased safety after the event.