A street-racing driver going more than 110 mph crashed into a school bus in New Mexico and now the horrific video showing the moment it happened has been released by the Albuquerque police.
The crash took place on Feb. 23 and in the video, you can see 23 middle-school kids talking and just riding along inside the school bus. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but then suddenly some of the students start screaming, as a white Ford Mustang drives straight into the bus.
As the crash happens, the kids in view of the camera can be seen being flung into the air and violently tossed across the bus and it is knocked over on its side, officials said. The kids inside the bus continue to scream and ask for help, as at least two of them suffered “significant injuries” and broken bones that required surgery, police said.
The Mustang was totaled in the crash and was initially partially on fire, cops said. The driver, 49-year-old Mario Perez, told the bus driver that he’d been going at least 80 mph when he hit the bus. However, witnesses at the scene told police that he’d been racing another Mustang and driving “in excess of 110 mph,” which is nearly three times the 40 mph limit in that area, police said. The bus driver was going just 9 mph when the crash took place.
Perez was injured in the crash and was in a wheelchair with both legs in braces as he appeared in court earlier this month, officials said. He was charged with two counts of great bodily harm by vehicle, a third-degree felony, and he remains in custody at this time.
Meanwhile, the grandfather of one of the injured girls talked to KOB-TV, saying the horrific crash would be “something that stays with them for a while.” He added, “These kids are going to through this trauma for a while because every time they get on the bus they’re going to remember what happened.” His 13-year-old granddaughter needed surgery for a fractured pelvis.
