BURNET COUNTY, Texas -- Two high school students were killed when their car slammed into a bus in Burnet County. KVUE News has been told the two students were Sierra and Caleb Hardin, a brother and sister who attended Burnet High School.
Burnet ISD officials said because there are no turning lanes on State Highway 29, they have always feared something like this could happen.
Three hours after an afternoon collision involving a car and a school bus, both vehicles were still on Highway 29. Although traffic was at a standstill, friends of the two teenage victims walked passed the vehicles to find out for themselves if the bad news was true.
"It is really bad," said Megan Davis, a Burnet High School junior who was holding back tears. "I just saw them like three hours ago, and we were in the auditorium, and they were sitting right behind us, and now they are not here anymore."
Investigators say the school bus was traveling eastbound on Highway 29 and had stopped to make a left hand turn onto County Road 252.
"The school bus did activate its turn signals to make a left turn," said Senior Trooper Harpin Myers, with the Texas Department of Public Safety. "At that point, a four-door sedan heading in the same direction ran into the rear of the school bus. The vehicle did try to swerve out of the way to avoid hitting the bus, but at that point it was too late, of course. We believe they were killed instantly -- a 14-year-old and a 16-year-old."
Friends say the brother and sister were active members of the youth group at their church.
"You do not lose a child and not be forever changed," said Frankie Leftwich, who goes to the same church the victims attended. "You lose two. I cannot imagine. We will hold them up and be there for the family and be there for our young people. We have had too many tragedies."
"It is really hard knowing that our town has had a lot of people die," said Marie Glasson, a classmate of the victims at Burnet High School. "There are a lot of kids at the high school that have died. It is hard. It is really hard."
Investigators say 16-year-old Sierra Hardin was driving the car. KVUE News has learned there were 13 people on the bus, including the driver. One student was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
