Today, Jerry Hernandez faces his fate in Bastrop County court as the judge is set to deliver a sentence for his role in the tragic Hays CISD school bus crash that took place in March 2024, as reported by CBS Austin. Hernandez, a 44-year-old truck driver, pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter after his concrete truck collided with a school bus, flipping the vehicle with 44 Tom Green Elementary pre-K students and 11 adults aboard, leaving a 5-year-old child and a 33-year-old man dead.
The crash, captured on camera, showed the concrete truck swerving into the bus's lane on State Highway 21, a devastating moment leading to widespread injuries and trauma for survivors, according to details from a KXAN report prior to sentencing, the truck driver admitted to using marijuana and cocaine within 24 hours of the accident, his decision to drive under the influence resulting in catastrophes that no plea can abate, no sentence restore. Hernandez's guilty plea brought the potential prison time to 18 years, a choice, some victims' families contend, that was made without their consultation.
One of those voices longing to be heard at the sentencing is Gerardo Rodriguez, a father of a crash survivor who expressed disappointment in not being given the opportunity to share his feelings with the District Attorney’s Office, as conveyed in an interview by CBS Austin. This sentiment echoes through the words of attorney Jason Feltoon, representing eight victims, who highlighted the lack of outreach to families and their need for their voices to be heard, especially the children grappling with concussions, surgeries, and PTSD in the crash's aftermath.
The plea agreement met a mix of expectations and sorrows, Bastrop County District Attorney Bryan Goertz confirmed the plea but refrained from further comment until the sentencing's formal proceedings are finalized, "Mr. Hernandez has entered a plea of guilty to the indicted offenses of manslaughter and he is set to be sentenced by the court in September," Goertz said, reported CBS Austin. Meanwhile, Hays CISD spokesperson Tim Savoy shared with KXAN a grim acknowledgment of the justice process's limitations, noting that while the sentencing may offer some form of justice, it cannot bring back young Ulises or alleviate the perpetual pain endured by the families.
