A Northside Independent School District bus carrying 18 Hofmann Elementary School students crashed early Tuesday at the intersection of Alamo Ranch Parkway and Lone Star Parkway in San Antonio, and no injuries were reported among anyone involved. The crash happened around 7 a.m. as morning commuter traffic moved through the corridor.
An NISD spokesperson told KSAT that all 18 students aboard the bus were uninjured at the time of the collision. The district has not detailed how the crash occurred or whether another vehicle was involved, and no additional information about the cause has been released.
An Intersection With a History
The crash location carries weight beyond Tuesday's incident. In April 2025, a 71-year-old woman was killed in a two-vehicle rollover crash at the same intersection of Alamo Ranch Parkway and Lone Star Parkway, after a driver traveling 108 mph T-boned her SUV, according to KSAT. Residents at the time described the stretch as a regular speed zone, raising concerns about unsafe turns and high-speed driving through the area.
The corridor sits in the middle of one of Bexar County's fastest-growing suburban pockets. The population of the Alamo Ranch area, ZIP code 78253, grew by more than 65% between 2020 and 2026 to reach nearly 70,000 residents, according to the San Antonio Report, a boom that has piled heavy traffic volume onto local arterial roads never built for that kind of growth.
Infrastructure Fixes Still Years Away
Bexar County and the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority are designing a $113.5 million elevated parkway along Alamo Ranch Parkway that would add six elevated lanes bypassing major intersections, with county officials estimating the project could cut morning drive times through the corridor from 20 minutes down to three minutes once complete in 2029, per the same San Antonio Report account. Until then, the area is relying on smaller fixes: county officials announced in August that they were retiming traffic signals and adding dedicated turn lanes to reduce daily backups while the larger overpass project moves forward.
Those short-term measures came after residents reported significant daily delays and frustration with the corridor's congestion. The scale of what Northside ISD is managing across that growth adds another layer of complexity — the district operates over 800 school buses running 650 daily routes across five regional bus stations to cover 355 square miles, making it the largest school district in San Antonio.
Statewide Push for Bus Safety
Tuesday's crash lands amid a broader statewide reckoning over school bus safety. Texas recorded 2,358 traffic collisions involving school buses in 2025, resulting in seven deaths and 85 serious injuries statewide, according to the Texas Department of Transportation, with state officials pointing to driver distraction and speeding as leading causes.
Lawmakers responded with Texas Senate Bill 546, enacted during the 2025 legislative session, which requires all Texas public school buses to be equipped with three-point seat belts by September 1, 2029, with students required to wear them on any bus so equipped. The law followed a fatal 2024 school bus crash in Hays CISD. Traffic crashes in Texas school zones also increased 12% in 2025 compared to the year before, with 877 school zone collisions reported statewide, prompting TxDOT to launch public awareness campaigns urging drivers to slow down near buses and active campuses.
A Pattern of Close Calls Near NISD Campuses
Tuesday's crash is not the first time this year that traffic safety near Northside ISD schools has drawn scrutiny. In May, a 7-year-old NISD student was struck by a vehicle in a crosswalk near Evers Elementary school, prompting parents to demand enhanced pedestrian and traffic safety measures around district campuses. School staff committed to repainting crosswalks and adding speed bumps following that incident.
Northside ISD has also been adjusting how it manages its bus system amid budget constraints. Starting this school year, the district required all eligible families to pre-register students for bus service by June 30, a change officials said would help optimize routes and prevent drivers from making unnecessary stops where no children are waiting.
No further details have been released about what caused Tuesday's collision at Alamo Ranch Parkway and Lone Star Parkway, and it remains unclear whether any citations were issued.
