Bus driver in fatal Houston crash thought she was going to die
HOUSTON — The school bus driver involved in a deadly crash in Houston was still in shock when she walked out of the hospital Tuesday night.
It was just 12 hours after Luisa Pachecho was behind the wheel of a Houston Independent School District bus that was involved in a horrific accident that killed two students and injured two others. Pachecho walked out of the hospital with the help of her family and said it’s a miracle that she’s walking out with just cuts and bruises.
“I thought I was going to die,” she said as she left the hospital with her daughter Jacelyn.
Houston Police Department investigators said a car being driven by a Houston Independent School District teacher swerved toward the bus because she thought another car was going to drift into her lane.
"Apparently there was a late model Buick Le Sabre ... she jerked the wheel to the right," said police spokesman Victor Senties. "She, in turn, ends up striking the left driver's side of the school bus."
Pachecho attempted to avoid the Buick, over-corrected and went off the overpass and onto the frontage road below. She said she remembers a car swerving into her lane and hitting the bus, but nothing else.
“Nothing terrible like this,” she said. “I’ve never had an accident.”
Pachecho has been driving a bus for eight years and said she’s loved every second of it because she gets to “take care of the kids.” She has a clean driving record.
The school district said Pachecho has worked for the district for about three years.
The district said the bus, which was purchased new in 2008, had lap belts for students and was equipped with seven security cameras. The footage was being reviewed as part of the investigation.
Pachecho’s daughter said she’s thankful her mother wasn’t more seriously hurt.
“That’s really hard to believe after seeing the photographs,” Jacelyn said.
At that time, Pachecho's family had yet to tell her that 14-year-old Janecia Chatman and 17-year-old Mariya Johnson were killed in the accident, her daughter said.