Tom Green Elementary students head back to class after deadly bus crash
On Friday, a crash occurred between a Hays CISD bus and a concrete truck. It resulted in two deaths — five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace, who was traveling in a vehicle behind the bus.
BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — On a cold spring morning in Buda, Texas, children returned to Tom Green Elementary School following the horrific bus crash Friday afternoon.
Many parents walked back from dropping off their kids with tears in their eyes as they grappled with the reality of what happened days ago.
On Friday, a crash occurred between a Hays CISD bus and a concrete truck. It resulted in two deaths — five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace, who was traveling in a vehicle behind the bus.
“It feels sad,” said Hellen Cartagena, a mother of a five-year-old who was on the bus Friday. She said her daughter hasn’t been the same since the incident.
“Today, I know that she is okay. And when I asked her, ‘Do you want to go to school? Your friends [are] going to be there.’ She said, ‘Yes,’” Cartagena added.
Cartagena said the day of the crash was terrifying and is grateful her daughter was not physically harmed. She said she could not imagine what Rodriguez Montoya’s family was going through.
“It's something so hard to think [about] or imagine. But I just can say, ‘Parents, I'm so sorry for your loss,’” she said.
To make coming back to school after the tragedy a little easier, Hays CISD recruited therapy dogs to help the kids feel calm and even have a little fun.
“I actually had a kiddo yesterday tell me this is the best day ever. And [that is a] big statement,” said Kaylynn Schrandt, who works on the Hays CISD Animal Assisted Counselling Team. “I mean, it's a big statement from a kiddo who's just been through the trauma that he's been through.”
“Having a dog in the room can overall provide peace and help the students think about petting a furry friend rather than the things they've been through,” she continued.
Cartagena said it’s going to take her daughter, Grace, a while to process the event. Still, she said, she is grateful so many students survived the crash.
“More people [could have] died in that accident. More people [could have] died. But they can have a new opportunity,” Cartagena said.