Truck driver charged with criminally negligent homicide following fatal Texas school bus crash

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Dashcam video shows cement truck hitting Texas school bus, killing man and boy

Dashcam video has been released showing a cement truck veering and hitting a Texas school bus, killing man and boy. CREDIT: AP

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A truck driver was arrested Friday and charged with criminally negligent homicide in connection to a March 22 school bus collision in Texas that left a man and a boy dead. 

Jerry Hernandez, 42, was arrested without incident at a residence in Bastrop County, said Sgt. Deon Cockrell of the Texas Department of Public Safety, according to The Associated Press. 

His bond is currently set at $500,000, per the Bastrop County Jail. Hernandez does not yet have an attorney.

DASHCAM VIDEO SHOWS CEMENT TRUCK PLOWING INTO TEXAS SCHOOL BUS, KILLING BOY AND MAN

Texas police reportedly interviewed Hernandez last week while he was in a hospital for treatment, KVUE reported, citing court documents. Hernandez reportedly admitted to having smoked marijuana the night before the crash.  

The deadly collision took place around 2 p.m. near Texas State Highway 21 and Caldwell Road in Bastrop County, a rural highway outside Austin, according to FOX Austin.  (KTBC)

Hernandez also allegedly told police he had only slept about three hours before consuming cocaine at 1 a.m. on the morning of March 22. He also refused to provide a blood sample for analysis, according to court documents.

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The deadly collision took place around 2 p.m. near Texas State Highway 21 and Caldwell Road in Bastrop County, a rural highway outside Austin, according to FOX Austin. 

The school bus was carrying more than 40 pre-K students from Tom Green Elementary School who were returning from a zoo field trip. The bus was carrying 11 adults as well as children.

Dashcam video has been released showing a cement truck plowing into a school bus packed with pre-K students returning from a trip to the zoo last week, killing a boy and a man. (Associated Press)

The crash ultimately killed 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, who was on the bus, as well as Ryan Wallace, 33, who was driving in another vehicle close by that was hit by the truck. Wallace was a doctoral student at the University of Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman. 

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Four individuals were airlifted from the site in critical condition following the crash. Six others with serious injuries were taken by ambulance to hospitals.

Video released by the Hays Consolidated Independent School District showed other drivers leaving their cars to race toward the bus. 

Rescuers on the scene where a cement truck plowed into a school bus packed with pre-K students returning from a trip to the zoo last week, killing a boy and a man. (Associated Press)

The crash remains under investigation and authorities have not yet said how fast the vehicles were driving at the time of the collision. The school district stated the bus did not have seatbelts, per The Associated Press. 

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Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Haley Chi-Sing is a Freelance Writer for Fox News Digital. You can reach her at @haleychising on X.