BASTROP, Texas (AP) – A cement truck crashed into a school bus carrying more than 40 preschoolers returning from a field trip to the Texas Zoo on Friday, killing a boy on the bus and another vehicle. Authorities announced that the man had died.
The bus overturned on a rural highway outside Austin, with a large presence of emergency vehicles and traffic backed up for hours, officials said. The roof of the bus was crumpled and a large portion of another nearby vehicle was shattered. Personal belongings were scattered on the road.
Four people were airlifted from the crash site in critical condition. Six other people with potentially serious injuries were transported by ambulance, said Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services Director Kevin Parker.
The ambulance bus transported about 10 other patients with minor injuries to children's hospitals, Parker said. The passengers on the bus included 44 students and 11 adults, according to the Hays Consolidated Independent School District.
The child who died was a preschool student at Tom Green Elementary School in Buda and was “a precious boy,” said Eric Wright, the district's superintendent. The child's name has not been released.
In addition to the two people killed, 51 others were injured, including the bus driver, Wright said.
“This is a horribly tragic day for our school district,” Wright said.
The bus was struck around 2 p.m. when a concrete truck traveling the wrong way veered into the bus's lane, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety sergeant. Deon Cockrell said. He added that initial information from authorities was that a truck collided head-on with the bus, causing it to overturn.
Cockrell said it appears the vehicle the man was traveling in collided with the back of the bus or was part of a concrete truck. One person was in the truck and a man was in the other vehicle. Mr. Cockrell did not know how fast the car was going. The truck driver is cooperating with authorities, he said.
Wright said parents of students on the bus were notified of the accident and all students were reunited with their families by evening.
Cynthia Yescas said her 4-year-old nephew was on the bus and was slightly hurt but okay. The American Statesman in Austin reported.
“Children are scared more than anything,” she says.
Hays School District spokesman Tim Savoy told the newspaper that the bus was a 2011 model and did not have seat belts. He said new buses have been fitted with belts since 2017.
Gov. Greg Abbott said in a post on social media Platform
State Rep. Erin Zwiener, whose district includes Buda, said in a Facebook post that her heart goes out to the families affected.
“At this terrifying moment, our community must come together to support those who have lost loved ones and those who are recovering,” she wrote, adding that “a life was saved today.” He thanked first responders and school district staff.
Buda is approximately 25 km (16 miles) southwest of Austin.
