The Alton Bus Crash

by Juan P. Carmona

Overview

A September morning in 1989 changed Alton's history forever. At 7:34 a.m., a Dr Pepper truck collided with Mission School Bus no. 6. After the bus and its occupants plunged into a water-filled caliche pit, twenty-one students lost their lives. The resulting investigation flooded the small South Texas community with reporters and lawyers. The heavily scrutinized legal battle divided the city, but it did ultimately produce changes in school bus safety that continue to save lives today. Juan Carmona navigates the complicated legacy of the tragic accident and its aftermath.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467143615
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	08/26/2019
Series:	Disaster
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Juan P. Carmona is a social studies teacher at Donna High School and a dual-enrollment history instructor through South Texas College. He graduated with honors from the American Military University with a master's degree in American history and was the recipient of the 2018 James F. Veninga Outstanding Teaching Humanities Award by Humanities Texas. His primary field of research is the history of the South Texas borderlands. Mr. Carmona is the author of "Immigration and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo," published in the Latino Book Review on March 23, 2018; "Thieves: Land Ownership in Texas," published in the Latino Book Review on September 14, 2017; "April 1910," a short story published in La Noria Literary Journal in April 2013; and "Home," a short story published in La Noria Literary Journal in August 2013.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 11

Prologue: Walking Home from School 13

Introduction 15

Part I The Accident

The Men 23

Collision 26

Outside the Bus 39

Community 47

School 52

A Darkness Descends 57

The Investigation 60

Part II The Courts

The Criminal Trial of Ruben Perez: The Prosecution 67

The Criminal Trial of Ruben Perez: The Defense 73

The Lawsuits 78

Alex's Story 81

LULAC 82

Barratry and Lawsuits 89

Part III Aftermath

Survivors and Community 93

Changes 99

Conclusion 103

Notes 107

Bibliography 115

Index 123

About the Author 127