At about 5:15 p.m. Monday evening, an accident between a utility truck and a San Marcos CISD school bus sent more than a dozen people to a San Marcos, Texas hospital. This accident demonstrates just how important it is for a driver to stop when they see a school bus flashing its lights, and to avoid driving distracted.
According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, at the time of the accident, the San Marcos CISD school bus was stopped and letting children from Travis Elementary School off on State Highway 21 and Reynaldo Way. As it was stopped, the utility truck, which was carrying a small crane, just slammed into the rear end of the bus. Witnesses described the sound of the crash as a “loud, hard bang… like a bomb.”
The school district reported that 11 children were on board the bus at the time, as well as two adults; a bus monitor and the bus driver. All but one of the children were able to get off the bus of their own accord, and passersby helped release the eleventh child from the seat that had pinned her inside.
One of the students on board the bus was unhurt and released to parents. Six of the children, as well as the two adults were transported by ambulance to Central Texas Medical Center, while a bus with an EMS technician on board transported four other children and their parents to the same hospital.
The driver of the truck became pinned inside his vehicle by the accident and was transported to University Medical Center-Brackenridge in Austin, where his injuries were described as serious.
State Highway 21 was closed for several hours after the accident, so DPS could investigate. While police haven’t concluded why they think the accident happened, they have ruled out whether or speed as factors. They believe the driver was distracted and simply wasn’t paying attention to the stopped school bus.
DPS investigators and others will look at all of the circumstances surrounding this terrible accident thoroughly, to find out what happened. Every year, thousands of drivers around Texas and the entire country are victimized by distracted drivers, and it has to stop.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an automobile accident that you believe may have been caused by a driver who was not paying attention, please contact the Texas Distracted Driving Accident Lawyer at Hill Law Firm as soon as possible to protect your rights.