Two dead, including student, in Hays CISD bus crash

Two people were killed, including one five-yearold student, in a crash involving a Hays Consolidated Independent School District school bus and a concrete truck on Friday, March 22.

Tom Green Elementary School student Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, 5, was killed in the crash, according to a release from Hays CISD on Monday. Ryan Wallace, 33, was driving a car behind the school bus and was also killed in the crash. In addition to the two deaths, 51 other people were also treated for injuries, many of which were children on the bus.

The crash happened in Bastrop County as the students were returning from a field trip to a zoo in Bastrop.

“The pain we continue to feel today is profound and there remain no words that can capture the depth of our grief,” Tom Green Elementary Principal Jennifer Hanna said. “As we come to terms with this tragedy, it is crucial that we stand together as a community, supporting one another as we navigate through this difficult period.”

Texas Department of Public Safety officials said that a concrete truck heading east on Highway 21 veered into the wrong lane and struck the school bus, which rolled over.

Hays CISD officials said that two adults and two children were in still in the hospital on Monday in stable condition.

“Ulises was a child who was filled with a lot of happiness and he often shared it with others,” Naira (Dina) Solís Shears, his pre-K bilingual teacher from Tom Green Elementary School, said. “He had a talent for drawing and his favorite thing to draw was dinosaurs. He could almost completely spell the word dinosaur, which demonstrates how smart he was. He always had a dinosaur drawn on all of the assignments he turned in. He liked to tell stories and shared many with his friends and family. Above all – he was a loving child.”

Funeral and memorial services for Montoya are still pending. A fundraising account for the family can be found at gofund. me/026b0f7e. A general fundraiser for Tom Green Elementary set up by a teacher to “help students to help students and staff with expenses related to healing, off-setting funeral expenses for the student who passed away, and other unexpected expenses incurred by families affected by the accident,” can be found online at gofund.me/ a3c4c9e8.

Hays CISD canceled school on Monday. School districts around Hays County wore green to show support the Tom Green Elementary Hornets.

“In the days and weeks ahead, we will face a long road of healing and recovery,” Hanna said. “Let us come together to provide comfort and solace to one another, offering a shoulder to lean on and listening ear for those who need it most. During this time, I encourage each and every one of you to prioritize self-care and seek support if needed. … As we mourn the loss of our student and support those who are injured, let us remember the strength of our community and the bonds that unite us. Together, we will find the strength to heal. Together, we are Hornet strong.”

'Let us come together to provide comfort and solace to one another, offering a shoulder to lean on and listening ear for those who need it most.'

Jennifer Hanna Tom Green Elementary Principal