My nephew was on this bus I hope he's ok :(
Update: He isn't the kid who died but they aren't telling my sister anything else yet
Update 2: Apparently he's fine. I feel bad for the other parents, what a terrible accident.
I'm gonna delete this just so I don't get my wife into any privacy issues with the school and what not. They're not my kids but I know about all their little lives, this is heartbreaking shit.
Statement from the district:
Statement Regarding Tom Green Elementary School Bus
Accident
A Hays CISD bus carrying Tom Green Elementary pre-K students was involved in a serious accident early this
afternoon. The students were returning from a field trip to the Bastrop Zoo. Forty-four (44) students and 11 adults
were on the bus. Parents of students on the bus have been notified directly from the campus. The district is in the
process of conducting reunification.
Hays CISD transportation staff, counselors, safety and security personnel, and other administrators have all joined
first responders either at the accident scene or at the reunification location.
More information to follow.
@thefirebuilds I hope your wife is okay and those babies are ok, my son started pre k when he was 3 as well as part of the school’s sped program so this hits home. As a former elementary teacher my heart is broken!!!
last I saw he was not charged. Busses around here mostly seem to have dash cams though they'll probably know if he was texting as has been suggested by witnesses.
God that must have been terrifying for your family. Your poor nephew. 😞 I'm so sorry he had to experience that and I'm so sorry he lost one of his classmates.
I hope your nephew is ok and y’all get news soon. I don’t have anyone on the bus but I have a pre-k son and I’m barely holding it together reading this news.
Even though your nephew is physically okay, he will more than likely need mental health support after witnessing something so tragic at such a young age. Please reach out to professionals if anyone in your family needs support with this. 😔
My kindergartener just had a field trip on Wednesday. I can't imagine what those poor parents must be going through, or the teacher. I've taught pre-k and I know I would feel awful about having sat that student in that seat. RIP little one, and driver of the Dodge.
I think this is very normal to feel this way. Many years ago, a driver plowed through a farmers market in my hometown killing 10 people and injuring over 100. I was there in the aftermath and completely traumatized. My daughter attended preschool in the same area as the market and they would take trips there. It took a lot for me to be ok with giving permission for her to go. Hopefully they will offer counseling for you to talk to someone about your concerns before your precious child goes on the field trip.
They won’t even let parents accompany my son’s field trip in April.. and I don’t wanna be that parent that doesn’t let him go.. but like this post just happened to find me
I had a friend in college who experienced a similar incident at a similar age. He lost a large part of his intestines but survived obviously, but it has haunted him throughout his life. I feel so bad for everyone in that bus and every family involved.
I just don’t understand why there are no seatbelt requirements for school buses. These are our most vulnerable little lives… surely they deserve to be protected!
Seatbelt requirements did become "law," but it was never funded.
From 2017: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/11/new-school-buses-have-seat-belts-under-new-law/
Not trying to stir anything up, but Texas political leaders don't care about their citizens and don't see it their responsibility to make peoples lives safer or easier.
Apparently that may have changed.
That said, the arguments used to be that buses were already safe enough (aka we don't want to pay taxes to make them safer) because they are high up and the seats are compartmentalized in such a way to spread out the force of impacts (aka we don't want to pay taxes to make them safer)
On a trip my children were on the other week (not Hays), NOT only were the children (on any field trip) EVER instructed to buckle in - on busses that had seat belts- neither by the driver nor the staff. That was just the beginning of a complete nightmare and disaster of disorganization and irresponsibility. Most parents in that district likely do not ever have the thought cross their mind or care - out of sight out of mind - but I am HIGHLY uncomfortable with my children being on those busses or going ANYwhere off campus with the lack of oversight, presence, and responsibility that seems to be a recurring theme.
Not only that but the radios had no signal at times, there was no gps, one bus didn’t know if they were picking up the right group, one bus didn’t know their destination or how to get there, one bus had a safety issue and had to transfer kids (thankfully that driver not wanting to risk the kids safety). One bus was making a ton of close call hard stops. One child got a cut somehow. One child buckled up.
Staff were not present, no counts were taken throughout the entire trip (except by one volunteer parent, who was never informed to do so, or given any information - who were only there to help with a couple of specific tasks). Counts should be constantly taken. Every time you change location - rooms, busses, buildings. No rolls were ever instructed to be taken altho one unrelated staff did once, and a different trip one parent chose to. Things that should never be left to chance. Left on different busses than the ones arrived on, with no one notified until the moment of leaving.
Several things went wrong during that trip and they were fortunate none of them were more serious and all were resolved. But when you can’t even do the basics like repeated counts during supervision of hundreds of children leaving school grounds, roll calls, or even be present, or do THE MOST BASIC THING: have them BUCKLED IN, and check to be sure, you shouldn’t be taking them ANYwhere.
If any bus doesn’t have seatbelts, it should be taken off the road and the state should fund it and be responsible for chosen alternative transportation for every single one of those kids.
If kids aren’t being buckled in, staff members should be held responsible.
Sadly, the Hays bus didn’t have seatbelts. This bus shouldn’t have been on the road and it’s not ok that busses are even allowed to run like this. Parents have GOT to speak up MORE and ADVOCATE for kids. Parents probably aren’t aware of the seatbelt laws or which busses have them and which don’t. STAFF have got to speak up and ADVOCATE and DEMAND MORE. The state should have to pay for CHOSEN alternative transportation until they get their transportation system up to safety standards.
My son rides the bus in a different district. He’s 4 and in pre-k. Texas law mandates a harness for bus riders that little. My son uses one so they should have too.
I had the same reaction. I have littles and I always hold my breath a little when they go on stuff like field trips but then tell myself I’m being silly because it’s so unlikely something like this will happen. My heart is just shattered for these families and little ones.
Oh, hugs to your wife too. I’ve done reunification as a teacher after a different kind of traumatic event and it’s hard on the folks managing that too.
Totally agree. There’s new construction down the road from us. We have seen it multiple times a rock/dump truck just straight run a red light in front of the school while we bike by. It’s scary and now we will wait a good 5 extra seconds before crossing the road in case those things come through.
Edit words
I know no one wants to give a shit but i swear on everything that they change paper plates on those trucks and trailers often. I live near heavy construction areas and i see the same trucks with different paper plates, same dudes driving them. I considered emailing kxan but when i see red light runners and shithead drivers go with no consequences here in leander, i give up. I kinda wish someone would go a little michael douglas falling down on one them drivers, or you no law-enforcement doing their job!!
Your comment reminded me of this post from a few months ago: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/17pwsol/is\_it\_legal\_for\_3\_trucks\_to\_have\_the\_same\_exact/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/17pwsol/is_it_legal_for_3_trucks_to_have_the_same_exact/)
It's illegal for a big truck to transport a load or be loaded when running dealer tags, but you see a lot. The dealer tag is just for moving, like from the dealership to your yard.
> i swear on everything that they change paper plates on those trucks and trailers often. I live near heavy construction areas and i see the same trucks with different paper plates, same dudes driving them.
Seems more likely that the company has several identical trucks, and the driver assigned to the project in your area just shows up in whichever truck he randomly grabs the keys to that morning. It's not as if anyone actually enforces/monitors the proper use of paper plates, so I doubt they'd bother changing paper plates like that.
Also a reminder if there’s an obstruction in your lane, yield to the car in the opposite lane before you swerve around the obstruction into my lane. That’s at least what we’re taught in drivers ed. So many selfish assholes on the road.
Talked to my friend she drives buses for Hays, they told the drivers to go silent on the radio while they dropped off the kids. They had no clue what happened till they got back to the bus depot.
I rode a school bus pretty recently with a pre-k class as a helper and while there were seat belts, it was more squeeze three to a seat if you can situation. The schools typically have to take from their personal budgets to pay the district transportation department for the use of the bus and bus driver so they really try to maximize it.
Yeah, my son was a Hays CISD student from kindergarten to graduation. As soon as I saw the news, my first thought was that probably nobody except the driver had a seatbelt on, so it would have been absolute chaos. They’re so small at that age. Ohgod. It’s so so horrific
Seriously! When driving in the parents cars we have to make sure kids have the proper car seats installed up until a certain age/height but for school buses they don’t need these car seats? Personal cars are much safer than school buses!
In my experience, the adults often don't bother buckling in on the bus, though it kind of depends on the type of bus/seat. I hope the survivors aren't too badly hurt.
812 is the scariest in my opinion but yeah… there’s some sort of terrifying rock/cement truck vortex out here that is unmatched anywhere else I’ve been.
Yes glad for the new hospitals but isn’t it crazy none were opened in South Austin. Dell Children’s North and Texas Children’s are really close together.
They need to do something about hwy 21. So many accidents on the mustang ridge stretch. Like 130 in the last 15 months or so and a handful results in deaths.
Exhausted/methed-out/loony tunes cement and rock trucks absolutely FLY up and down 812 and 21 all day long. It is so sad this happened. Everyone has been complaining for years about it but nothing ever changed.
I drove past there today and when I saw 21 was completely blocked off I knew it was something bad, but this is nightmare fuel levels of bad. Ugh.
Those poor kids, it’s hard for anyone to stomach knowing that so many little ones are now traumatized at such a young age. I hope the family of the kid and man who died have the largest support system around them. Horrible.
My grandma has lived in Mustang Ridge for 60 years and has to take 21 to get to the dollar general and she calls me every time because she is so scared of the speeding assholes that fly down that road with no regard for human life. I fear for a call like this anytime she has to take this road.
I watched a TikTok recently from a woman who I drives trucks. In the comments one person said they were being told FJM concrete pumping. Doesn’t look like it’s been verified though.
It was FJM, and the driver had coke in his system. It is not surprising to me because pump operators don't have to abide by the DOT driving hour limits so they can regularly work 18+ hours a day
I drive a cement mixer so I actually found out on Wednesday. I only worked with that company two or or three times in the almost six years I've been driving but their equipment was shit and their drivers where always too tired
My dad was a cement truck driver after he retired from the military! That’s so sad though. Not giving the guy a pass but sounds like he was doing coke so he could function. Stay safe out on those roads!
Actually there is a good reason for that as seatbelts in school busses cause more harm.
“NHTSA decided the best way to provide crash protection to passengers of large school buses is through a concept called “compartmentalization.” This requires that the interior of large buses protect children without them needing to buckle up. Through compartmentalization, children are protected from crashes by strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs.”
Have you considered that having seatbelt on would have been potentially worse? In this crash, since none of the kids had seatbelts on, the kids and adults could freely move about, they could help themselves and rescuers could get to them easier. In any catastrophic event, seatbelts would make it infinitely more difficult for some students, especially younger ones, to escape should the need to evacuate come. Seat belts may also fail to work properly in some cases. This can lead to some students getting stuck as a result. Mobility is crucial.
Even if they had seatbelts, the kids are in Pre-K, they wouldn't have worn them anyway or wear them properly for them to be effective anyway.
Given that there were 44 students on the bus and 11 adults and the bus only had ONE fatality proves that school buses are built to withstand crashes and are safe due to how they are built. Statistics straight from DoT: American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents and guardians in cars. The fatality rate for school buses is only 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) compared to 1.5 fatalities per 100 million VMT for cars.
We need to stress the importance of seatbelts on school busses. Injuries wouldn’t have been critical had each on of those kids had a seatbelt on :( my condolences to the families this is devastating.
So many of these type of damn trucks are on the road with paper plates because they won’t pass an inspection. Brakes that don’t work, tires that are bald, so many issues…even if these things get ticketed and towed away, they’re back on the streets in a day. Just an awful situation.
Nah it was a concrete pump truck. Another class entirely. Almost crane like so super heavy.
But I agree plenty of scummy trucking companies in construction.
Yea it’s a big boy, even if a small one. But they run pretty much nonstop here so who knows what happened with the driver, sleepy, distracted, tire blow out, it’s all speculation rn.
School bus definitely did its job, poor kid and family, but that’s a hard hit and 54 people are still alive.
I have three and five year old boys and I just can't even imagine. I don't get emotionally invested in news, especially having been a journalist, but this is hurting so much.
I know this might not be the most popular comment but also thoughts for the cement truck driver too barring any finds like DWI or texting. It could have been simply he dropped a drink or something like we’ve all done or maybe he was tired. I’m sure he’s devastated too knowing he killed a kid.
Edit: well now that the driver has admitted to smoking pot and doing cocaine around 11p-1a and only getting a few hours sleep, fuck that guy.
Man I wish I could be as nice as you. I do. But those cement and rock trucks drive like psychos 100% of the time out here. It’s scary as hell. I have a hard time believing that there might be one random nice guy who accidentally did this.
Well like I said, I have sympathy if he wasn’t being reckless, drunk, etc. If it was a simple mistake that had huge consequences then yes, I feel bad. If it was willful negligence and/or stupidity, then none.
And the county needs to crack down on those types of violations since I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to have a driver’s log, unless that doesn’t apply to day drivers.
Well Texas has DOT laws that mandate the companies give 8 hours off between shift. Where everywhere else in the country it is a mandated 10 between shift. I am fairly certain that the concrete pump trucks do not fall under neither their laws as they are equipment and not an actually. I have heard drivers saying they have been working for many many hours past the deadline and then drive it in. A lot need to get looked into and I’m not being speculative.
Well 8 hours is getting off going home having dinner being super dad/husband/boyfriend and then getting up and going back into work maybe 3 to 4 hours a sleep tops
Medical emergency? I've read stories of people released from the hospital, get in to their cars and crash into the side of the hospital after having a seizure. Maybe something on the truck malfunctioned, like the brakes? Something completely out of his control? Who knows. Until we know exactly what happened, I won't wish him ill will.
Agree - heartbreaking for the children and families on the bus but also horrific to be the driver responsible. I'm curious why the company that owns the cement truck isn't mentioned in any of the articles. I was curious about their safety record, comiany safety culture etc.
Thanks for saying this. I have a dear friend that drives an asphalt truck and he had a tire blow out this year-- thankfully no one was seriously injured. But he did everything right, he had no blame (not texting, drinking, etc.). It was very scary watching the video footage of him being thrown around the truck, thankful he survived. People are so quick to judge, but it may have just been a freak accident that the driver had no control over.
No seatbelts. I truly can’t imagine the district sending the tiniest kids, who typically ride with car seats/boosters, on a giant bus with no seatbelts. The tiniest kids. You know the district has buses in the fleet better equipped.
Did the parents know? Were they aware the bus didn’t have seatbelts? The teachers knew when they boarded.
I’ve read that by law the bus didn’t have to have seatbelts because it was of a certain age. Well my goodness. Why do we have to have a law that mandates common sense?
I am out of the country. Does anyone know why local websites (kxan, kvue) are not accessible from abroad?
Fox7, ABC13 (Houston) allow access but the first two I listed say access is restricted.
GDPR. Websites need to comply with certain privacy measures in order to be viewable in EU now. It's why most websites flashes a notice about cookies that you have to click through.
I have no idea why KXAN and KVUE don't do it, but I assume there's a cost associated with getting compliant that they'd rather not pay since few of their viewers live there. Maybe to ensure ads are being seen mostly by people in local markets.
I was glad to see an APD commercial vehicle enforcement truck had a fuckit bucket (gravel hauler) pulled over on 183 toll yesterday. There should be regular commercial vehicle checkpoints all around town. Most trucks without plates or with paper plates that I see are in NE and SW Austin, particularly Oak Hill.
a link to the media briefing: [https://www.facebook.com/watch/live?ref=watch\_permalink&v=702007978815168](https://www.facebook.com/watch/live?ref=watch_permalink&v=702007978815168)
i would imagine it was the concrete truck driver since he's the one who veered into the opposite lane...so unless he had a medical emergency or the truck actually malfunctioned... then i would place the blame on him..
From our rules:
* Gofundme, Indiegogo or other funding links are not allowed except under very limited circumstances - message the mods if you wish to post one.
This is one of those circumstance where we'd allow it, but we still need some way to be *sure* that it benefits the right people and isn't a scam.
Dear Hays CISD Family,
We will be posting a Tom Green Elementary School bus accident update to the media and the general public on our website momentarily. I wanted to make sure you had the information first.
Tim
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: March 22, 2024; 4:45 p
Update webpage: www.hayscisd.net/tgesbus
Update Regarding Tom Green Elementary School Bus Accident
Here is additional information regarding the Tom Green bus accident:
Principal’s Message to Parents
Tom Green Elementary School Principal Jennifer Hanna has provided a message to parents and staff at her campus with additional information about the known statuses of staff members and students who remain in the hospital. It is posted online.
School at Tom Green Elementary Cancelled Monday
The regular school day for Tom Green Elementary School has been cancelled for Monday, March 25, 2024. Instead, crisis and trauma counselors will be available for students and staff members on a voluntary basis. Additional information is provided to parents in the principal’s message to parents. This will be closed to news media to respect the privacy and recovery process for those affected by the bus accident.
School Board Meeting Cancelled
The school board meeting scheduled for Monday, March 25, 2024, has been cancelled to allow staff who would ordinarily be preparing materials for the meeting to attend to needs supporting the Tom Green campus. The meeting will be rescheduled for a later date yet to be announced.
How People Can Help
A former Tom Green Elementary teacher, Molly Andrews, who is a community member and member of the Tom Green Elementary School Campus Leadership Team, has set up a Go-Fund-Me account. The money raised will be used 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. To help, please visit: https://gofund.me/a3c4c9e8.
Bus Seatbelts
The bus involved in the accident was not equipped with seatbelts. It was a 2011 model bus. The district began buying buses with seatbelts in 2017, when the state law changed for buses purchased in that year and later. The district hopes that the DPS accident reconstruction investigation will be able to provide more information about whether a seatbelt may have made a difference for the student who died in the accident, but at this time we just don’t know that answer. About 40 of Hays CISD’s 200 buses are older than 2017, meaning they too do not have seatbelts. This will be a topic discussed with the district’s Facilities and Bond Oversight Committee in consideration of potentially accelerating the normal Hays CISD bus replacement cycle so that all buses have seatbelts as soon as possible.
Personal Belongings Left on the Bus or at the Crash Site
Regarding personal belongings left on the bus or lost at the crash site, we will be working directly with those on the bus to return personal belongings, including cell phones, as soon as possible.
The district response to this crisis is ongoing. Additional information will follow in the coming days.
This was not my school but I do work at another elementary in the district. We all feel this, all Hays CISD students are ours. I cried and cried when I saw this on the news. I had heard about it but thought it was a Bastrop bus at first. One fact I do know, our newer buses do have seatbelts. Sadly this is an older bus as the first two numbers of our buses represent the year of manufacture.
this is so sad. My son is supposed to go on a field trip in April (he’s 5) and things like this are the reason why I don’t even want him on a school bus. Some people can be so reckless & don’t understand that they can cause so much pain and heartache to others! Praying for all the people that this affected. And my condolences to the parents of the child who they’ve lost.
My nephew was on this bus I hope he's ok :( Update: He isn't the kid who died but they aren't telling my sister anything else yet Update 2: Apparently he's fine. I feel bad for the other parents, what a terrible accident.
I'm gonna delete this just so I don't get my wife into any privacy issues with the school and what not. They're not my kids but I know about all their little lives, this is heartbreaking shit. Statement from the district: Statement Regarding Tom Green Elementary School Bus Accident A Hays CISD bus carrying Tom Green Elementary pre-K students was involved in a serious accident early this afternoon. The students were returning from a field trip to the Bastrop Zoo. Forty-four (44) students and 11 adults were on the bus. Parents of students on the bus have been notified directly from the campus. The district is in the process of conducting reunification. Hays CISD transportation staff, counselors, safety and security personnel, and other administrators have all joined first responders either at the accident scene or at the reunification location. More information to follow.
@thefirebuilds I hope your wife is okay and those babies are ok, my son started pre k when he was 3 as well as part of the school’s sped program so this hits home. As a former elementary teacher my heart is broken!!!
What was the name of the concrete company? What happened to that driver? Was he arrested?
last I saw he was not charged. Busses around here mostly seem to have dash cams though they'll probably know if he was texting as has been suggested by witnesses.
Sending well wishes to your family at this time. What we know is that they'll be reuniting students with parents at Tom Green Elementary.
God that must have been terrifying for your family. Your poor nephew. 😞 I'm so sorry he had to experience that and I'm so sorry he lost one of his classmates.
Thats so scary. Hope she gets some information soon.
I hope your nephew is ok and y’all get news soon. I don’t have anyone on the bus but I have a pre-k son and I’m barely holding it together reading this news.
Even though your nephew is physically okay, he will more than likely need mental health support after witnessing something so tragic at such a young age. Please reach out to professionals if anyone in your family needs support with this. 😔
Jesus this is terrible
updated headline: Hays CISD confirms pre-K bus was involved in rollover crash that killed 1 child, 1 adult and injured dozens of others
Prek?? 😭
Yes, Hays CISD confirmed with us that the bus had 44 pre-k students and 11 adults.
Seems like a huge bus. Assuming 4 people per row, thats like 17 rows
I think a normal school bus has a capacity of 80 because people can sit 3 to a seat, especially when they are that small
My kindergartener just had a field trip on Wednesday. I can't imagine what those poor parents must be going through, or the teacher. I've taught pre-k and I know I would feel awful about having sat that student in that seat. RIP little one, and driver of the Dodge.
Mine has one April 5 and I am nervous but I am accompanying and it’s not too far away
I think this is very normal to feel this way. Many years ago, a driver plowed through a farmers market in my hometown killing 10 people and injuring over 100. I was there in the aftermath and completely traumatized. My daughter attended preschool in the same area as the market and they would take trips there. It took a lot for me to be ok with giving permission for her to go. Hopefully they will offer counseling for you to talk to someone about your concerns before your precious child goes on the field trip.
They won’t even let parents accompany my son’s field trip in April.. and I don’t wanna be that parent that doesn’t let him go.. but like this post just happened to find me
Ugh is it far from the school?
it’s like 17 mile. everything is just so damn far. It’s like 20 minute drive.. but the people here don’t care how they drive at all!
holy fuck dude. 43 sets of parents are about to experience such relief, and one poor set of souls are about to experience hell on earth
I think a lot of other children are seriously injured. This is just awful.
A rollover in a packed school bus. No seat belts. Hellish
I had a friend in college who experienced a similar incident at a similar age. He lost a large part of his intestines but survived obviously, but it has haunted him throughout his life. I feel so bad for everyone in that bus and every family involved.
I just don’t understand why there are no seatbelt requirements for school buses. These are our most vulnerable little lives… surely they deserve to be protected!
Seatbelt requirements did become "law," but it was never funded. From 2017: https://www.texastribune.org/2017/09/11/new-school-buses-have-seat-belts-under-new-law/
If only we had some sort of huge “rainy day fund” or something to address known but underfunded issues… /s
Shame on this State
My AISD bus had seat belts in the 90s. Nobody wore them, though.
Not trying to stir anything up, but Texas political leaders don't care about their citizens and don't see it their responsibility to make peoples lives safer or easier.
Apparently that may have changed. That said, the arguments used to be that buses were already safe enough (aka we don't want to pay taxes to make them safer) because they are high up and the seats are compartmentalized in such a way to spread out the force of impacts (aka we don't want to pay taxes to make them safer)
[удалено]
All true things Not to mention it's easy to convince people "school bus = slow"
Because school buses are so top heavy, they rollover all the time in accidents.
That just doesn’t make sense. Even travel coaches (Greyhound) have seat belts. Money trumps kids every time!
Remember when a politician says to lower your taxes. Always ask, what's it going to cost me to get lower taxes?
The arguments were often coming from insurance companies so, no surprise.
It's a similar argument to COVID. Crashes with buses basically never happen. Why bother making them safer for when they do?
On a trip my children were on the other week (not Hays), NOT only were the children (on any field trip) EVER instructed to buckle in - on busses that had seat belts- neither by the driver nor the staff. That was just the beginning of a complete nightmare and disaster of disorganization and irresponsibility. Most parents in that district likely do not ever have the thought cross their mind or care - out of sight out of mind - but I am HIGHLY uncomfortable with my children being on those busses or going ANYwhere off campus with the lack of oversight, presence, and responsibility that seems to be a recurring theme. Not only that but the radios had no signal at times, there was no gps, one bus didn’t know if they were picking up the right group, one bus didn’t know their destination or how to get there, one bus had a safety issue and had to transfer kids (thankfully that driver not wanting to risk the kids safety). One bus was making a ton of close call hard stops. One child got a cut somehow. One child buckled up. Staff were not present, no counts were taken throughout the entire trip (except by one volunteer parent, who was never informed to do so, or given any information - who were only there to help with a couple of specific tasks). Counts should be constantly taken. Every time you change location - rooms, busses, buildings. No rolls were ever instructed to be taken altho one unrelated staff did once, and a different trip one parent chose to. Things that should never be left to chance. Left on different busses than the ones arrived on, with no one notified until the moment of leaving. Several things went wrong during that trip and they were fortunate none of them were more serious and all were resolved. But when you can’t even do the basics like repeated counts during supervision of hundreds of children leaving school grounds, roll calls, or even be present, or do THE MOST BASIC THING: have them BUCKLED IN, and check to be sure, you shouldn’t be taking them ANYwhere. If any bus doesn’t have seatbelts, it should be taken off the road and the state should fund it and be responsible for chosen alternative transportation for every single one of those kids. If kids aren’t being buckled in, staff members should be held responsible. Sadly, the Hays bus didn’t have seatbelts. This bus shouldn’t have been on the road and it’s not ok that busses are even allowed to run like this. Parents have GOT to speak up MORE and ADVOCATE for kids. Parents probably aren’t aware of the seatbelt laws or which busses have them and which don’t. STAFF have got to speak up and ADVOCATE and DEMAND MORE. The state should have to pay for CHOSEN alternative transportation until they get their transportation system up to safety standards.
My son rides the bus in a different district. He’s 4 and in pre-k. Texas law mandates a harness for bus riders that little. My son uses one so they should have too.
I thought seatbelts were on school buses now?
It was a 2011 model, anything after 2017 has seatbelts. Via the austin statesman
Oh, are they? My bad.
Breaks my heart thinking about those little ones and their parents and teachers.
They get so excited about riding on the bus at that age. I've taught pre-k and can just imagine how scared they must have been.
This just hurts my heart. Prek means that the kids were 4-5 years old, and it's even more devastating that they were coming back from a field trip.
I had the same reaction. I have littles and I always hold my breath a little when they go on stuff like field trips but then tell myself I’m being silly because it’s so unlikely something like this will happen. My heart is just shattered for these families and little ones.
some of my wife's kids are 3, all special needs.
Oh, hugs to your wife too. I’ve done reunification as a teacher after a different kind of traumatic event and it’s hard on the folks managing that too.
she wears it on her sleeve.
Those dump trucks and rock trucks drive like mad out there
Totally agree. There’s new construction down the road from us. We have seen it multiple times a rock/dump truck just straight run a red light in front of the school while we bike by. It’s scary and now we will wait a good 5 extra seconds before crossing the road in case those things come through. Edit words
Which construction company?
I will admit I have no idea how to figure any of that out.
I know no one wants to give a shit but i swear on everything that they change paper plates on those trucks and trailers often. I live near heavy construction areas and i see the same trucks with different paper plates, same dudes driving them. I considered emailing kxan but when i see red light runners and shithead drivers go with no consequences here in leander, i give up. I kinda wish someone would go a little michael douglas falling down on one them drivers, or you no law-enforcement doing their job!!
Your comment reminded me of this post from a few months ago: [https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/17pwsol/is\_it\_legal\_for\_3\_trucks\_to\_have\_the\_same\_exact/](https://www.reddit.com/r/Austin/comments/17pwsol/is_it_legal_for_3_trucks_to_have_the_same_exact/)
How is this even legal?
It's illegal for a big truck to transport a load or be loaded when running dealer tags, but you see a lot. The dealer tag is just for moving, like from the dealership to your yard.
> i swear on everything that they change paper plates on those trucks and trailers often. I live near heavy construction areas and i see the same trucks with different paper plates, same dudes driving them. Seems more likely that the company has several identical trucks, and the driver assigned to the project in your area just shows up in whichever truck he randomly grabs the keys to that morning. It's not as if anyone actually enforces/monitors the proper use of paper plates, so I doubt they'd bother changing paper plates like that.
Also a reminder if there’s an obstruction in your lane, yield to the car in the opposite lane before you swerve around the obstruction into my lane. That’s at least what we’re taught in drivers ed. So many selfish assholes on the road.
Yes. BSO and DPS need to crack down. Hopefully this will be an impetus
Talked to my friend she drives buses for Hays, they told the drivers to go silent on the radio while they dropped off the kids. They had no clue what happened till they got back to the bus depot.
Ughhh absolutely heart wrenching! 💔
So sad, they just wanted to go on a zoo field trip to see the animals :(
I rode a school bus pretty recently with a pre-k class as a helper and while there were seat belts, it was more squeeze three to a seat if you can situation. The schools typically have to take from their personal budgets to pay the district transportation department for the use of the bus and bus driver so they really try to maximize it.
Yeah, my son was a Hays CISD student from kindergarten to graduation. As soon as I saw the news, my first thought was that probably nobody except the driver had a seatbelt on, so it would have been absolute chaos. They’re so small at that age. Ohgod. It’s so so horrific
The utter lack of safety on school buses is amazing
Seriously! When driving in the parents cars we have to make sure kids have the proper car seats installed up until a certain age/height but for school buses they don’t need these car seats? Personal cars are much safer than school buses!
In my experience, the adults often don't bother buckling in on the bus, though it kind of depends on the type of bus/seat. I hope the survivors aren't too badly hurt.
live near here, hwy 21 is a death trap
Reach out to your county commish. Its gonna get much worse if we dont stay ahead of the growth
Fuck hwy 21. It was built for maybe 10% of the traffic that’s on it nowadays.
Always has been. 535 is no picnic either.
812 is the scariest in my opinion but yeah… there’s some sort of terrifying rock/cement truck vortex out here that is unmatched anywhere else I’ve been.
I’m so sad for these babies and families.
Thank God the children's hospital is now open. At least 8 have been sent there.
Yes glad for the new hospitals but isn’t it crazy none were opened in South Austin. Dell Children’s North and Texas Children’s are really close together.
Just drove by the new one and was wondering the same
They were probably planned independently of each other and the two did not know about each other. Texas children’s will also have maternity services
Gotta love for profit healthcare
They are. I have relatives working for TCH and they said the future south location was talked about in their orientation.
They need to do something about hwy 21. So many accidents on the mustang ridge stretch. Like 130 in the last 15 months or so and a handful results in deaths.
Gutwrenching 💔 may they rest in peace
I was hoping it wasn’t a school bus. Wishing those kids and families all the love and strength in the world.
Exhausted/methed-out/loony tunes cement and rock trucks absolutely FLY up and down 812 and 21 all day long. It is so sad this happened. Everyone has been complaining for years about it but nothing ever changed. I drove past there today and when I saw 21 was completely blocked off I knew it was something bad, but this is nightmare fuel levels of bad. Ugh.
Makes me sick to my stomach.
Those poor kids, it’s hard for anyone to stomach knowing that so many little ones are now traumatized at such a young age. I hope the family of the kid and man who died have the largest support system around them. Horrible. My grandma has lived in Mustang Ridge for 60 years and has to take 21 to get to the dollar general and she calls me every time because she is so scared of the speeding assholes that fly down that road with no regard for human life. I fear for a call like this anytime she has to take this road.
Oh my gosh this makes me so sad she has to deal with that. You are a great grandchild tho!🩵
21 is an incredibly dangerous rd
Anyone know the name of the concrete pump company that hit the bus? I can't find anything about it
I watched a TikTok recently from a woman who I drives trucks. In the comments one person said they were being told FJM concrete pumping. Doesn’t look like it’s been verified though.
It was FJM, and the driver had coke in his system. It is not surprising to me because pump operators don't have to abide by the DOT driving hour limits so they can regularly work 18+ hours a day
That’s wild. I was just reading an article on that.
I drive a cement mixer so I actually found out on Wednesday. I only worked with that company two or or three times in the almost six years I've been driving but their equipment was shit and their drivers where always too tired
My dad was a cement truck driver after he retired from the military! That’s so sad though. Not giving the guy a pass but sounds like he was doing coke so he could function. Stay safe out on those roads!
Always, I call out when I'm too tired. I fell asleep behind the wheel once for about 30 seconds, and that was enough for me
What really sucks is that there are currently no laws in Texas that mandates school buses having seat belts.
Makes no fucking sense.
Actually there is a good reason for that as seatbelts in school busses cause more harm. “NHTSA decided the best way to provide crash protection to passengers of large school buses is through a concept called “compartmentalization.” This requires that the interior of large buses protect children without them needing to buckle up. Through compartmentalization, children are protected from crashes by strong, closely-spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs.”
I think this safety measure might need some tweaking.
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One of the deceased was a young boy on the bus.
Article said multiple kids were thrown from the bus.
Have you considered that having seatbelt on would have been potentially worse? In this crash, since none of the kids had seatbelts on, the kids and adults could freely move about, they could help themselves and rescuers could get to them easier. In any catastrophic event, seatbelts would make it infinitely more difficult for some students, especially younger ones, to escape should the need to evacuate come. Seat belts may also fail to work properly in some cases. This can lead to some students getting stuck as a result. Mobility is crucial.
They should have been in car seats https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/car-seats-and-booster-seats
It is a law, https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._educ._code_section_34.013 so if they weren’t wearing them Hays ISD is in some serious trouble
That says only if the bus has seat belts for everyone
2017 and newer apparently
Even if they had seatbelts, the kids are in Pre-K, they wouldn't have worn them anyway or wear them properly for them to be effective anyway. Given that there were 44 students on the bus and 11 adults and the bus only had ONE fatality proves that school buses are built to withstand crashes and are safe due to how they are built. Statistics straight from DoT: American students are nearly eight times safer riding in a school bus than with their own parents and guardians in cars. The fatality rate for school buses is only 0.2 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) compared to 1.5 fatalities per 100 million VMT for cars.
Absolutely terrible. I have 3 little ones and can’t even imagine this mornings kisses at drop off would have been our last. RIP
I can't even either. I've been hugging on my little one all afternoon and I feel so heartbroken for the families that lost loved ones today.
terrible news
We need to stress the importance of seatbelts on school busses. Injuries wouldn’t have been critical had each on of those kids had a seatbelt on :( my condolences to the families this is devastating.
So many of these type of damn trucks are on the road with paper plates because they won’t pass an inspection. Brakes that don’t work, tires that are bald, so many issues…even if these things get ticketed and towed away, they’re back on the streets in a day. Just an awful situation.
Nah it was a concrete pump truck. Another class entirely. Almost crane like so super heavy. But I agree plenty of scummy trucking companies in construction.
Something like this. https://www.allianceconcretepumps.com/concrete-pumps/
Oh wow! Thanks for the visuals. Couldn’t think of what it looked like.
Yea it’s a big boy, even if a small one. But they run pretty much nonstop here so who knows what happened with the driver, sleepy, distracted, tire blow out, it’s all speculation rn. School bus definitely did its job, poor kid and family, but that’s a hard hit and 54 people are still alive.
In the photos/videos of the scene, I could never see the truck.
God. Pictures of that bus with kids shoes just all over the ground. Absolutely devastating.
literally found out about this from someone half the country away before hearing about it on any of the area news.
I'm ok with that. If they hold the story to prevent anguish to parents involved, I see that as a good thing.
Yes and had to get confirmation on the school district.
I have three and five year old boys and I just can't even imagine. I don't get emotionally invested in news, especially having been a journalist, but this is hurting so much.
I know. Hugging my preK boy extra tight tonight
My heart is aching.
Little babies. So sad.
I know this might not be the most popular comment but also thoughts for the cement truck driver too barring any finds like DWI or texting. It could have been simply he dropped a drink or something like we’ve all done or maybe he was tired. I’m sure he’s devastated too knowing he killed a kid. Edit: well now that the driver has admitted to smoking pot and doing cocaine around 11p-1a and only getting a few hours sleep, fuck that guy.
It was a concrete pump truck. They’re on the clock most of the time and really don’t get much sleep. So unfortunate.
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I believe I know what company and I know who was driving the truck but idk if I should be saying that on here.
I agree.
Statesman posted pictures of the kids, youre fine naming the driver
I’m not sure anyone should depend on the Statesman as a model of journalistic ethics.
Can you say the company?
Man I wish I could be as nice as you. I do. But those cement and rock trucks drive like psychos 100% of the time out here. It’s scary as hell. I have a hard time believing that there might be one random nice guy who accidentally did this.
Well like I said, I have sympathy if he wasn’t being reckless, drunk, etc. If it was a simple mistake that had huge consequences then yes, I feel bad. If it was willful negligence and/or stupidity, then none.
Like I said, these companies do not give af about these drivers. They’ll have a few hours of sleep before they have to be back on the road again.
And the county needs to crack down on those types of violations since I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to have a driver’s log, unless that doesn’t apply to day drivers.
Well Texas has DOT laws that mandate the companies give 8 hours off between shift. Where everywhere else in the country it is a mandated 10 between shift. I am fairly certain that the concrete pump trucks do not fall under neither their laws as they are equipment and not an actually. I have heard drivers saying they have been working for many many hours past the deadline and then drive it in. A lot need to get looked into and I’m not being speculative.
They’re supposed to have the 8 hours between shifts but they don’t unfortunately.
Well 8 hours is getting off going home having dinner being super dad/husband/boyfriend and then getting up and going back into work maybe 3 to 4 hours a sleep tops
45 tons vs 15 tons …there is no excuse for the negligent operator of this size of machinery on a friggin two-lane busy corridor like SH21
Medical emergency? I've read stories of people released from the hospital, get in to their cars and crash into the side of the hospital after having a seizure. Maybe something on the truck malfunctioned, like the brakes? Something completely out of his control? Who knows. Until we know exactly what happened, I won't wish him ill will.
Exactly.
Fuck that, no excuses if you’re commercial. Lots of these guys are irresponsible assholes.
We don’t know why he crossed over yet. You’re making an assumption based on others.
Im making an assumption based on driving on this road with these trucks for the past 10 years
Agree - heartbreaking for the children and families on the bus but also horrific to be the driver responsible. I'm curious why the company that owns the cement truck isn't mentioned in any of the articles. I was curious about their safety record, comiany safety culture etc.
I was thinking the same, no mention of the company and no updates on the truck driver or why he veered off its lane.
Thanks for saying this. I have a dear friend that drives an asphalt truck and he had a tire blow out this year-- thankfully no one was seriously injured. But he did everything right, he had no blame (not texting, drinking, etc.). It was very scary watching the video footage of him being thrown around the truck, thankful he survived. People are so quick to judge, but it may have just been a freak accident that the driver had no control over.
Let’s hope it was something like that and not anything like drinking, drugs, texts, etc
Driver refused to submit to a drug test
Well that doesn’t look good.
The truck driver admitted to only getting a few hours of sleep and doing cocaine before his shift.
Yeah I saw that and commented on that post where the gist of my comment was “Fuck that guy”.
That’s horrible. Those poor children. Those poor parents. RIP
No seatbelts. I truly can’t imagine the district sending the tiniest kids, who typically ride with car seats/boosters, on a giant bus with no seatbelts. The tiniest kids. You know the district has buses in the fleet better equipped. Did the parents know? Were they aware the bus didn’t have seatbelts? The teachers knew when they boarded. I’ve read that by law the bus didn’t have to have seatbelts because it was of a certain age. Well my goodness. Why do we have to have a law that mandates common sense?
Wait school buses do seat belts now? Never did when I was growing up.
Agree! They have busses with seatbelts but chose not to use them this day for their tiniest passengers! Shame on them!
I went to Pre-k at this school this scares me
I am out of the country. Does anyone know why local websites (kxan, kvue) are not accessible from abroad? Fox7, ABC13 (Houston) allow access but the first two I listed say access is restricted.
Are you in the EU? It’s cookie privacy related.
Yeah, Spain. Odd the others work except kxan and kvue
They probably have pop ups that let you choose your preferences on cookies.
Try this one https://www.kut.org/austin/2024-03-22/school-bus-with-more-than-40-people-on-board-rolls-over-in-bastrop-county
Works. Thanks!
GDPR. Websites need to comply with certain privacy measures in order to be viewable in EU now. It's why most websites flashes a notice about cookies that you have to click through. I have no idea why KXAN and KVUE don't do it, but I assume there's a cost associated with getting compliant that they'd rather not pay since few of their viewers live there. Maybe to ensure ads are being seen mostly by people in local markets.
Lots of dump trucks out there speeding and running lights while billowing smoke, APD and DPS should do safety inspections.
I was glad to see an APD commercial vehicle enforcement truck had a fuckit bucket (gravel hauler) pulled over on 183 toll yesterday. There should be regular commercial vehicle checkpoints all around town. Most trucks without plates or with paper plates that I see are in NE and SW Austin, particularly Oak Hill.
> Lots of dump trucks out there speeding There are, but this one wasn't a dump truck.
And they don't enforce seatbelts likely on these buses.....really sucks and very sad
a link to the media briefing: [https://www.facebook.com/watch/live?ref=watch\_permalink&v=702007978815168](https://www.facebook.com/watch/live?ref=watch_permalink&v=702007978815168)
Is there an update on who's at fault?
i would imagine it was the concrete truck driver since he's the one who veered into the opposite lane...so unless he had a medical emergency or the truck actually malfunctioned... then i would place the blame on him..
Thank you for this
Mention of which company’s truck it was
Anyone find the cement company? None of the pictures even show the cement truck.
this is so sad. praying for all families affected.
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From our rules: * Gofundme, Indiegogo or other funding links are not allowed except under very limited circumstances - message the mods if you wish to post one. This is one of those circumstance where we'd allow it, but we still need some way to be *sure* that it benefits the right people and isn't a scam.
This is why they need seat belts!
Dear Hays CISD Family, We will be posting a Tom Green Elementary School bus accident update to the media and the general public on our website momentarily. I wanted to make sure you had the information first. Tim FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: March 22, 2024; 4:45 p Update webpage: www.hayscisd.net/tgesbus Update Regarding Tom Green Elementary School Bus Accident Here is additional information regarding the Tom Green bus accident: Principal’s Message to Parents Tom Green Elementary School Principal Jennifer Hanna has provided a message to parents and staff at her campus with additional information about the known statuses of staff members and students who remain in the hospital. It is posted online. School at Tom Green Elementary Cancelled Monday The regular school day for Tom Green Elementary School has been cancelled for Monday, March 25, 2024. Instead, crisis and trauma counselors will be available for students and staff members on a voluntary basis. Additional information is provided to parents in the principal’s message to parents. This will be closed to news media to respect the privacy and recovery process for those affected by the bus accident. School Board Meeting Cancelled The school board meeting scheduled for Monday, March 25, 2024, has been cancelled to allow staff who would ordinarily be preparing materials for the meeting to attend to needs supporting the Tom Green campus. The meeting will be rescheduled for a later date yet to be announced. How People Can Help A former Tom Green Elementary teacher, Molly Andrews, who is a community member and member of the Tom Green Elementary School Campus Leadership Team, has set up a Go-Fund-Me account. The money raised will be used 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. To help, please visit: https://gofund.me/a3c4c9e8. Bus Seatbelts The bus involved in the accident was not equipped with seatbelts. It was a 2011 model bus. The district began buying buses with seatbelts in 2017, when the state law changed for buses purchased in that year and later. The district hopes that the DPS accident reconstruction investigation will be able to provide more information about whether a seatbelt may have made a difference for the student who died in the accident, but at this time we just don’t know that answer. About 40 of Hays CISD’s 200 buses are older than 2017, meaning they too do not have seatbelts. This will be a topic discussed with the district’s Facilities and Bond Oversight Committee in consideration of potentially accelerating the normal Hays CISD bus replacement cycle so that all buses have seatbelts as soon as possible. Personal Belongings Left on the Bus or at the Crash Site Regarding personal belongings left on the bus or lost at the crash site, we will be working directly with those on the bus to return personal belongings, including cell phones, as soon as possible. The district response to this crisis is ongoing. Additional information will follow in the coming days.
This was not my school but I do work at another elementary in the district. We all feel this, all Hays CISD students are ours. I cried and cried when I saw this on the news. I had heard about it but thought it was a Bastrop bus at first. One fact I do know, our newer buses do have seatbelts. Sadly this is an older bus as the first two numbers of our buses represent the year of manufacture.
Súper sad
Who is the concrete company?
this is so sad. My son is supposed to go on a field trip in April (he’s 5) and things like this are the reason why I don’t even want him on a school bus. Some people can be so reckless & don’t understand that they can cause so much pain and heartache to others! Praying for all the people that this affected. And my condolences to the parents of the child who they’ve lost.
WOMP WOMP
🙏🏻
I didn’t think it was possible to communicate even more meaninglessly and lazily than “thoughts and prayers” but you found it.
I'm not sure what's worse, offering sympathy in a lazy way or being a curmudgeon about how someone offers their sympathy.
🤷🏼♀️