Overview

• Jerry Hernandez was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of manslaughter, and prosecutors dismissed two criminally negligent homicide charges.
• The March 22, 2024 collision on State Highway 21 killed 5-year-old Ulises Rodriguez Montoya and 33-year-old Ryan Wallace as a bus carrying 44 pre-K students and 11 adults rolled over.
• An arrest affidavit says Hernandez admitted using cocaine and marijuana and sleeping about three hours before the crash, and records show prior refused or positive drug tests that left him prohibited in federal CDL records.
• The affidavit alleges FJM Concrete failed to check the federal Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse and notes a regulatory timing gap that delayed some state CDL downgrades until November 18, 2024.
• Relatives delivered emotional victim impact statements and urged letters to the parole board, while nine civil lawsuits against Hernandez and FJM Concrete have been consolidated with attorneys citing limited insurance funds.