Tragedy has struck again on the roads, this time with legal ramifications heating up as a new lawsuit emerges following the fatal Hays CISD school bus crash. According to Fox San Antonio, the Feltoon Law firm has filed a lawsuit on behalf of seven students and a parent, victims of the crash that occurred last month on March 22. The legal action is targeted at the truck driver, Jerry Hernandez, and his employer, FJM Concrete Pumping, LLC, citing negligence on multiple accounts.

The deadly incident on State Highway 21 resulted in the loss of a young life, 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace. The lawsuit alleges that Hernandez was not only crossing the center line into oncoming traffic but was also driving under the influence. Furthermore, the company he worked for is accused of failing to adequately train and monitor their employee.

Adding to the weight of the tragedy is a report released by the Texas Department of Public Safety which includes a detailed account of the accident scene. According to CBS Austin, the concrete truck operated by Hernandez was on the eastbound lane when it crossed the double yellow center line, directly into the path of the oncoming school bus. The collision caused the bus to roll over, completing a full rotation before coming to rest back on its wheels. This violent sequence led directly to grievous losses and an outpouring of lawsuits seeking to remedy, in what small ways they can, the enormous harms visited upon innocent lives.

Details of the petition filed by the law firm pin Hernandez as lacking the necessary knowledge, training, and experience to safely operate his vehicle. FJM Concrete Pumping stands accused of complacency, if not outright negligence, for their purported failure to supervise Hernandez.