Driver Admits to Sleep Deprivation and Cocaine Use Prior to School Bus Crash
ICARO Media Group
In a shocking revelation, court documents have revealed that the driver of the concrete pumper truck involved in the recent school bus crash in Bastrop County admitted to only having received three hours of sleep the night before and consuming cocaine on the morning of the collision. The incident occurred last Friday on State Highway 21 as the Hays CISD bus was returning from a field trip to the zoo.
The dashcam video released by the district shows the FJM Concrete Pumping truck crossing the double yellow line into the path of the school bus. In a desperate attempt to avoid a collision, the bus swerved but skidded and ultimately rolled before coming to a stop upright.
According to the court documents, the driver of the concrete pumper truck was identified as 42-year-old Jerry Hernandez. After the crash, Hernandez was taken to St. David's South Austin Medical Center for treatment, where he was met by a trooper from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
During questioning, Hernandez admitted to the trooper that he had smoked marijuana around 10 p.m. the night before the crash. He further disclosed that he had only slept for three hours and had consumed cocaine around 1 a.m. on the morning of the incident. Shockingly, Hernandez refused to provide a voluntary blood specimen for analysis, according to the search warrant.
Hernandez also claimed that he swerved to avoid a vehicle that had suddenly braked ahead of him. However, both witness statements and video evidence contradict his assertion. This raises serious doubts about the veracity of his account.
Further scrutiny of Hernandez's driving history revealed that he had previously been charged with driving without a license in 2006, as per Travis County court documents.
As of now, charges have not yet been filed, and the investigation into the crash is still ongoing. The admission of sleep deprivation and cocaine use by the driver adds a troubling dimension to this tragic incident, raising concerns about the safety of our roadways and the potential risks faced by innocent passengers.