Truck driver was on just three hours sleep and used cocaine the morning he crashed into a school bus full of preschoolers in Texas, killing two people – including five-year-old boy

The truck driver who crashed into a Texas school bus full of toddlers and killed two people admitted to using cocaine shortly before the crash.

On March 22, a truck crashed into a bus carrying 44 preschoolers from Tom Green Elementary school who were returning from a field trip to the Texas capital’s zoo.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the cement truck struck the school bus just before the driver of a third vehicle — a Dodge Charger — crashed into the bus.

The driver of the truck was 42-year-old Jerry Hernandez, who has since admitted that he smoked marijuana the night before the accident, got only about three hours of sleep, and then woke up at 1 a.m. for work and used cocaine.

Hernandez admitted to using the illegal drug when he was rushed to hospital after the deadly crash that killed two people.

Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, 5, died from injuries he suffered Friday after the school bus he was riding in was struck by a concrete truck that veered into the bus’s lane

Ulises Rodriguez Montoya was remembered as a happy child who loved dinosaurs and often shared his joy with others

Five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, a toddler on board, was one of two people tragically killed in the horrific crash.

Community members described Montoya as a “child filled with great happiness,” which he “often shared with others,” according to Naira (Dina) Solís Shears, his bilingual pre-K teacher.

“He had a talent for drawing and his favorite thing to draw was dinosaurs. He could spell the word dinosaur almost completely, which shows how smart he was.

‘For all the assignments he handed in, he always had a dinosaur drawn. He loved to tell stories and shared many of them with his friends and family. Above all, he was a loving child,” she said.

Montoya is survived by his immediate and extended family, including his parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins ​​– all of whom will miss him.

The adult male driver of the Charger also died.

Shocking dashcam footage since released by the school district shows the terrifying moment the truck hurtles toward the bus, causing it to roll over itself and crumble into rubble.

Court documents revealed that Hernandez crossed double yellow lines into the path of the bus, which swerved to avoid the vehicle.

Troopers testified in the documents that there was sufficient evidence to bring criminal charges against Hernandez.

The crash is still under investigation.

A Texas Department of Public Safety trooper inspects the scene of the fatal school bus crash

A pre-Ke-er is taken from the scene of the accident by an emergency worker

Families reunite with their children at Tom Green Elementary in Buda, Texas, after the school’s pre-K students were involved in a bus crash on Texas State Highway 21 near Caldwell Road in Bastrop, Texas on Friday, March 22, 2024

Classes at Tom Green, part of the Hays Consolidated Independent School District, were canceled Monday — though the building was open for those seeking guidance

A little girl is transported Friday after a fatal school bus crash on Texas State Highway 21 near Caldwell Road

Classes at Tom Green, part of the Hays Consolidated Independent School District, were canceled Monday, although the building was open for people seeking guidance.

According to recent reportsplans for the little boy’s funeral and memorial service are still pending.

a GoFundMe launched by Ulises’ aunt has raised more than $60,000 for funerals, funerals and other unforeseen expenses the family now has to bear.

The school bus the young students were on reportedly did not have seat belts because it was manufactured in 2011, before the state of Texas mandated safety features on board such vehicles.

Dozens of other children were also transported to local hospitals after Friday’s crash.

According to a statement from Tom Green Elementary, 51 others were also injured.

a GoFundMe launched by the elementary school’s leadership team has raised nearly $78,000 for the devastated community. As of Sunday evening, two students and two school district employees remained hospitalized.

The accident occurred on Texas State Highway 21, about an hour’s drive from the school’s location in Buda.