BASTROP COUNTY, Texas — Three Huntsville ISD students and one former student were killed in a car accident in Bastrop County late Friday evening, according to the district.
The three current students, an 11th grader at Huntsville High School, an 8th grader at Mance Park Middle School and a 6th grader at Huntsville Intermediate school, were siblings. The former student was a 2018 graduate of Huntsville High School and a family friend.
The Texas State Highway Patrol said the crash occurred on State Highway 21 at Quarter Horse Loop sometime before 9 p.m.
Huntsville ISD officials said the four kids were riding with the sibling’s mom to San Antonio to watch another sibling perform with the Huntsville High School Grenadier Guard Drill Team at Nationals Competition.
Surveillance video of the crash from a nearby business showed the car with the mother and children stopped to turn left, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear.
Another vehicle slammed into the rear of their car, not braking until .6 seconds prior to the crash, "indicating possible distraction (cellphone) in the vehicle," a DPS spokesperson said.
All of the children died. The mother was taken to a hospital in Austin in critical but stable condition.
The driver and passenger of the second vehicle were not injured in the crash.
In a statement, Huntsville ISD said counselors, psychologist, school personnel and administrators will be on hand to help students and the school community deal with these losses. The support will be available beginning Monday morning and will continue as needed, the district said.
“We encourage you to be especially sensitive and prepared to offer support to your child during this time. Over the next few days, you may wish to encourage your child to express his or her feelings and listen attentively. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s reaction to this loss, please contact your child’s teacher, school counselor or any member of the administrative staff.
Our goal at Huntsville ISD is to always provide a safe and caring learning environment for our students. We assure you that we will continue to provide ongoing support for students in order that they may succeed mentally, physically and emotionally.
We ask that you please join us as we extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the families as they mourn.”
