Driver of concrete truck admits to consuming cocaine morning of fatal school bus crash

By:  KEYE-TV CBS Austin in Texas 

The driver of the concrete pumper truck that crashed into a school bus full of pre-K students last week admitted that he only got three hours of sleep the night before, and he consumed cocaine the morning of the collision, according to court documents.

The crash happened last Friday on State Highway 21 in Bastrop County as the Hays CISD bus was returning from a field trip to the zoo. As seen in the dashcam video released by the district, the FJM Concrete Pumping truck crossed the double yellow line into the path of the school bus.

The bus swerved to avoid the truck, skidded, then rolled. It completed a full rotation before coming to a stop upright.

Two people were killed in the crash, 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace.

According to court documents, 42-year-old Jerry Hernandez was driving the concrete pump truck. After the crash, he was taken to St. David’s South Austin Medical Center for treatment. A trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety met him there.

Court documents said Hernandez told the trooper that he smoked marijuana around 10 p.m. the night before the crash. He said he slept for three hours and got up for work around 12:30 a.m.

“As soon as I see the phrase 3 hours of sleep, that concerns me greatly,” said Lee Jackson, Crash/Accident Investigator and former Fort Worth Police Officer. “[The marijuana] would certainly explain the fatigue would explain the drifting in oncoming traffic,” he added.

Mr. Hernandez admitted to consuming cocaine about 1 AM on the morning of the crash. Mr. Hernandez refused to provide a voluntary blood men for analysis,” the search warrant said.

Court documents reveal the troopers who gave testimony to the crash said there’s enough evidence to pursue criminal charges; Lee Jackson agrees.

“It looks like he’s really right in the middle of the road and I don’t see the driver’s face at this point,” said Jackson when reviewing the dash camera footage. “Normally what you would see at this point, is the truck driver in complete panic mode; I don’t see that here which leads me to believe that he’s he’s drifted over the side of the road and he’s unaware of it.”

Jackson added, “Smoking marijuana, which of course is a depressant that’s going to make him more, much more likely to be falling asleep than anything else. The cocaine, of course, is a stimulant.”

“This should not have happened and there are families that are really seriously hurting right now,” Jackson said.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing; Jackson said the crash data from the engines of the cement pump truck and the school bus will be integral to the investigation, helping piece together what happened in the moments leading to the collision.

Hernandez also reportedly told the trooper that he swerved to avoid a vehicle that braked suddenly ahead of him. The witness statements and video evidence do not support his claim.

According to Travis County court documents, Hernandez was previously charged with driving without a license in 2006.

Charges have not yet been filed. The crash investigation is ongoing.

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“Driver of Concrete Truck Admits to Consuming Cocaine Morning of Fatal School Bus Crash” By Tara Brolley and Abigail Velez, KEYE-TV Staff Published on March 28, 2024 Video by CBS Austin

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/driver-of-concrete-truck-admits-to-consuming-cocaine-morning-of-fatal-school-bus-crash-hays-cisd-jerry-hernandez-search-warrant?video=52a41dc8996b4f91892281b549e85231

Video/Story by KEYE-TV CBS Austin in Texas