KYLE — A Hays CISD school bus collided with a vehicle Jan. 13 and continued to drive away following the incident, according to the Hays County Sheriff’s Office.
Clay Marker, the owner of a 2018 Ford Fusion Hybrid, recounted the event, stating that at approximately 5:20 p.m. he was traveling home on Heidenreich Lane in Kyle and approached an “S” curve in the road. It was here that he and the school bus were parallel, driving in opposite lanes, when it hit the left front side of his car.
“I pulled over and was looking in my mirror and the bus just kept going. So, I turned my car around to see if it was going to stop and it didn’t. It just kept going,” said Marker. “That’s crazy to me because to have 50 kids on board. I’m sure a bunch of kids yelled and screamed. How do you not stop?”
Lakaylah Williams
School bus #2115 was running the Lehman High School route, with approximately 40 students, said Hays CISD Chief Communication Officer Tim Savoy: “The expected protocol [when there is an accident] is for drivers to immediately report accidents.”
Following the accident, Marker called the police and reported the incident.
The district was notified of the collision the following day, Jan. 14, and used its SMART Tag system to alert parents of the accident. Officers reached out to the Hays CISD Department of Transportation, according to court documents, and was able to identify the bus, which had damage to the rear driver’s side tire and the wheel well.
“On video [in and around the bus], the impact of the accident could be clearly heard. Immediately after, the defendant looked at the rear-view mirror and slowed down to seven miles per hour,” read the court documents. “Students on the bus made numerous comments stating that they had just been involved in an accident and one told the defendant to continue. The defendant did not make any attempt to stop and provide any information to the other driver.”
Savoy noted that Lakaylah Williams, the bus driver, is no longer employed with the district, as she resigned the day the district was notified.
She was later arrested by the Kyle Police Department with a warrant for “collision involving damage to vehicles >=$200” Jan. 24, said HCSO. Williams was released the same day on a $5,000 bond.
Court documents stated that Williams “did then and there intentionally or knowingly drive a vehicle, school bus, which became involved in an accident resulting in damage … Defendant did thereafter, leave the scene of said accident without providing her name, insurance information or any other information.”
“Regarding why the driver didn’t stop after the collision and to the extent that she was aware that a collision had occurred is still a matter that is under review and discussion by the insurance companies representing the district and the other driver,” said Savoy.
Although Marker suffered no injuries, the damages to his car caused it to be deemed a total loss.
“[The insurance] ended up paying $10,500 and I owed $16,000. All I was asking the school district to do was cover the $6,000 because I’m out of a vehicle,” he said.
Marker explained that the school’s insurance company has been dragging out a response, as more than a month later, excuses continue.
“He goes, ‘Well, I need to go over this with my supervisor and I’ll call you back.’ [He] never calls me back. I let a week go by; I call him back. ‘Oh yeah, we received the video and we’re going to have a meeting on it tomorrow and we’ll make a decision, but we have to get a statement from the driver’ … I still haven’t heard anything [and] it’s almost been two months,” Marker said.
According to HCSO, this is no longer an active investigation and no further charges are expected for Williams.
