Distressing dash cam footage has emerged showing the moment a Texas school bus collides with a concrete truck that veered into its path, killing a five-year-old boy.
The incident occurred on March 22 when a Hays County School District bus, which was transporting preschool students at the time, was struck by the truck on Highway 21.
The students were returning from a field trip to the Bastrop Zoo, with 44 children on board and 11 adults at the time of the incident.
The cement truck can be seen crossing the center line from the bus’s dash cam and hits the back of the bus a few seconds later.
After the impact, the bus is seen swerving, before overturning and landing on its wheels.
Student Ulises Rodríguez Montoya, 5, died in the collision as a result of his injuries, as did Ryan Wallace, 33, who was driving behind the bus.
Footage of the collision shows the bus driver attempting to swerve onto the shoulder of the road as the large truck hurtles toward him.
Five-year-old student Ulises Rodríguez Montoya died in the crash as a result of his injuries.
Ryan Wallace, 33, died after his vehicle was also involved in the collision. At that time he was behind the school bus.
Aerial images taken after the collision show debris strewn across the road, while the mangled bus stands still and police surround it.
According KVUEThe investigation into the crash is still under investigation and Texas officials said no charges have yet been filed.
The school district said the bus involved, which was transporting staff and students at Tom Green Elementary School, was not equipped with seat belts.
In 2017, the Texas legislature required districts to start purchasing buses with seat belts, but the bus involved was a 2011 model.
The district said all injured students had been released from the hospital as of Monday and one staff member was still receiving care, according to C.B.S..
Law enforcement officials have yet to publicly identify the truck driver, what company he belongs to or why the driver left his lane.
In tribute to Montoya, Naira Solís Shears, his teacher said: ‘He had a talent for drawing and what he liked to draw the most were dinosaurs.
“He could almost completely spell the word dinosaur, which shows how intelligent he was. He always had a dinosaur drawn on all the assignments he handed in.
‘He liked to tell stories and shared many with his friends and family. Above all, he was a loving child. The little boy’s family added that he loved the color green and going to school.
The students were returning from a field trip to the Bastrop Zoo, with 44 children on board and 11 adults at the time of the incident.
After the initial impact, the bus can be seen rolling down the road while another vehicle is also seen behind the bus after being hit by the truck.
A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper inspects the scene of the fatal school bus crash
Wallace had been a student at the University of Texas and was working toward his doctorate.
University professors described him to KVUE as “positive, kind and optimistic.”
Professor Kathleen McElroy told the outlet: ‘He developed this undergraduate course. He was very successful and I think he had a really warm way of approaching very heady topics and making them digestible for young people. And that is a gift.’
His family said in a statement: “We have no words to express the immense and tragic loss we feel after an individual pierced the hearts of our family and destroyed the homes of so many others.”
“Ryan had finally found a rhythm and was truly feeling very happy and grateful for the life he worked so hard to build.”
Fundraisers have been organized for the young man and Wallace’s family to help their families cover funeral expenses.
Aerial footage taken after the collision shows debris strewn across the road, while the wrecked bus stands still and police surround it.
Officers can be seen investigating the wreckage of the school bus following last week’s incident.
The school district said all injured students had been released from the hospital as of Monday.
Miriam Loredo, Montoya’s aunt, said in a publication to his GoFundMe: ‘Our hearts are broken right now, our nephew lost his life on March 22 when he was returning home from a nice field day he had at school.
“He was a lovely boy, he was always happy and just an innocent boy. Now he leaves his family in a lot of pain. Please help us make this a little less stressful for them as they are very devastated at the moment.”
Since launching five days ago, the fundraiser has already reached more than $85,000 in donations.
A similar fundraiser was created by Professor McElroy for Wallace and has so far raised more than $11,000 in two days.
Families were alerted to the accident and spent agonizing hours waiting to be reunited with their children.
People are transported from fatal school bus crash near Austin: Preschool class returning from zoo visit
A girl is transported from a fatal school bus crash on Texas State Highway 21 near Caldwell Road on Friday.
Families reunite with their children at Tom Green Elementary School in Buda, Texas, after the school’s preschool students were involved in a bus accident.
For many of the children on the bus, the accident was a tragic end to their first field trip.
According to a local KXAN reportHector Campos said receiving the phone call Friday reporting that his daughter’s school bus had been in an accident was “the worst feeling in the world.”
“You never think you’d get one, and for me, my heart sank immediately.”
The worried father says he rushed to the accident scene, where he waited hours to see if his daughter was okay.
“There was complete chaos there. It was very hard,’ she said. Her daughter, Caliana, escaped the fatal accident with only a few scratches.