HOUSTON – Counselors were on hand Monday at Heights High School after a beloved coach Adrian Byrd was killed in a wrong way crash.
Students are devastated.
It was a really tough day for students at the school who say that his death will leave a real void not only in these halls but in their lives
Early Sunday morning Byrd and his wife Veronnia were driving home from a wedding when a wrong-way driver on Beltway 8 crashed his Ford F-150 truck head-on in the couple’s Mercedes.
The father of two young children was killed and his wife was critically injured, now beginning a long road to recovery.
Word of the tragedy spread quickly among students.
“I cried all day yesterday,” said Victoria Hopkins, one of Byrd’s track athletes. “I hope this is a dream like let us just wake up.”
“I'm just sending prayers hoping that his wife is good and praying for his kids,” Leslie Aguirre, a student, said.
Adrian Byrd’s parents are still in shock. They were babysitting his children when deputies notified the family by phone.
“It’s probably the worst day of my life,” said Audrey Byrd, Adrian’s mother. “I never thought I’d have to bury my child. Nothing prepares you.”
On Monday, Lila Hollin with the Houston Independent School District released the following statement:
“This is an incredibly sad day for Heights High School and all of HISD. We are sad to report that a Heights High School track coach died early Sunday morning. Our hearts go out to the family and friends of this coach, as well as to the entire Heights High School community. “
Students describe Byrd as not only a teacher and coach, but a friend.
“He was cool. You could talk to him about your problems,” Joy Jackson, a student, said.
“He supported everybody. He was a good coach of the football team, and he was just a good person overall,” Aguirre added.
“He was motivational, inspirational and he was a good coach. A very, very good coach and I hate that he's gone,” Hopkins said.
As far as what led to that wrong way crash that’s still under investigation. That driver was also seriously injured.
So far no charges have been filed.