Truck driver arrested in deadly Hays CISD bus crash enters guilty plea
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The truck driver arrested in connection with a deadly Hays CISD school bus crash in 2024 pleaded guilty Monday just hours after his defense attorney requested additional time for discovery at a hearing in Bastrop County.
Jerry Hernandez, charged with two counts of manslaughter and two counts of criminally negligent homicide, entered a guilty plea on all four counts for 18 years, which will run concurrently. The charge won’t include a deadly weapon designation.
KXAN reached out to the Bastrop County District Attorney’s Office for additional details on the agreement.
Two people died and multiple people were injured in the crash on State Highway 21 on March 22, 2024. The bus, carrying 44 Tom Green Elementary pre-K students and 11 adults, was returning from a field trip when a concrete truck veered into the bus’ lane, hitting the front of the vehicle and causing it to roll over, authorities said.
Five-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, who was on the bus, and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace, who was traveling in a car behind the bus, died in the crash.
The judge still has to accept the plea before sentencing occurs. A decision on the plea is expected at Hernandez’s next hearing — set for Sept. 18.
This developing story will be updated.
