A concrete truck driver involved in a deadly school bus crash last year has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Jerry Hernandez, 44, veered into the lane of the Hays CISD bus on State Highway 21 in Bastrop County on March 22, 2024. The bus was carrying 44 pre-K students from Tom Green Elementary School and 11 adults back from a field trip. It rolled over, and 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya was killed. UT student Ryan Wallace, who was driving behind the bus, was also killed.
Hernandez pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter in June. According to an arrest affidavit, he had admitted getting only three hours of sleep and using cocaine before going to work. Court documents showed he had tested positive for illegal drug use three times and was being treated for substance abuse.
In a statement Thursday, Hays CISD said it was "grateful."
"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," the statement said. "And, there is nothing that can ever erase the wounds, both physical and emotional, incurred on that fateful and tragic day."
Hernandez and his employer, FJM Concrete, face multiple lawsuits connected to the crash.
The bus was an older model and did not have seat belts, according to the district. In June, Hays CISD said nearly all of its buses now have seat belts.
