BUDA, Texas — More details have emerged about the deadly bus crash in Bastrop County that killed two, including a Pre-K student, on Friday.
The kids and staff on the bus were all from Tom Green Elementary in Buda and were returning from a field trip to the Bastrop Zoo. The school's principal said three staff members and two students remained in the hospital as of Saturday.
A concrete truck veered off the road, hitting the bus on State Highway 21. Another car then crashed in the back of the bus, killing the driver.
Tom Green Elementary School's principal encouraged the community to prioritize self-care and get help if needed. In a message sent to parents, the principal said that classes would be cancelled on Monday and that crisis and trauma counselors would be available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Tom Green. Any student in need of transportation to those support services can call the school to coordinate a ride. Classes will resume on Tuesday, March 26.
As Central Texans grieve these losses, community members are doing what they can to help the families impacted.
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For former fourth grade teacher Molly Andrews, Tom Green Elementary is more than just a school.
"Tom Green has a very special place in my heart, and I think anybody can see that when they meet the people that work here and the students that go here and the parents that support this school," Andrews said. "I've never felt more at home."
But it is a home that has been disrupted since the news of the crash.
"It's hard, you know. We're human. I just you know want to hug everybody, and I can't fathom what that family is going through and the teachers and everybody involved," Andrews said.
Joanne Thornton lives right down the road from the school.
"Well, I brought some flowers and a little rabbit Easter bunny," Thornton said. "It just really touched me greatly that I wanted to do something to show my support for the community and the people of the school."
Andrews is building on those sentiments by organizing a fundraiser for Tom Green, with a goal to raise $50,000.
"Whether that's, you know, hospital bills or, you know, expenses or for the teachers and the families and support, I'm giving that to the school to help you know have them decide," Andrews said. "It really is a family."
It is a gesture of support now, managing the loss of one of their own.