SCHOOL BUS FATALITY
Jerry Hernandez, 44, was sentenced on Thursday to 18 years in prison for his role in a deadly crash with a Hays CISD school bus last year.
Initial reports indicated that Hernandez was driving a concrete truck on Highway 21 in Bastrop County when he veered into the school bus with 55 pre-K students and adults who were on a field trip from Tom Green Elementary School in Buda.
Five-year-old Ulises Montoya Rodriguez was killed as well Ryan Wallace, who was driving a vehicle following the bus.
JERRY HERNANDEZ
Hernandez had cocaine in his system at the time of the crash and admitted to taking the drug because he only slept three hours the night before. Hernandez pled guilty to two counts of manslaughter.
“Hays CISD is grateful for all of the people involved in seeking accountability from the person who caused the school bus crash that claimed two precious lives in March 2024,” Hays CISD said in a statement. “The work to bring people to justice is never easy.
“However, today, as it is on all days, the district’s focus remains on lifting up those who suffered trauma and loss. There is nothing that can ever bring back Ulises Montoya Rodriguez or Ryan Wallace. And, there is nothing that can ever erase the wounds, both physical and emotional, incurred on that fateful and tragic day.”
