One week after a Sanger ISD school bus crash took the life of 13-year-old Julian Amador, his grieving parents are speaking out, sharing memories of their son while demanding transparency from investigators and school officials.
Julian had celebrated his 13th birthday exactly one week before the September 24 crash on Huling Road. His father Emmanuel Amador was waiting at the bus stop when he noticed his son’s GPS location had stopped moving. Moments later, he arrived at a devastating scene.
Texas DPS investigators say the school bus veered off the road, struck a culvert and rolled over. The 38-year-old driver and three other students sustained minor injuries. Julian suffered blunt force trauma to the left side of his head and was rushed to the hospital, where he died just before 6 p.m. despite CPR efforts at the scene.
Approximately 200 people attended Julian’s funeral on Wednesday. His mother Brenda Lopez said that while the community support has been overwhelming, the response from school administrators and law enforcement has been deeply frustrating.
Lopez is pushing for a full account of what happened in the moments before the crash. “I need to know what caused the accident in the beginning” she said. She noted the bus traveled approximately 500 feet after leaving the road on flat terrain before striking the culvert and questioned why the driver did not brake sooner.
Onboard security video has been turned over to investigators. NBC 5 and Telemundo 39 reached out to Sanger ISD for information about the bus driver’s employment history and whether any prior complaints had been filed. The district’s spokeswoman did not respond. DPS confirmed only that the investigation remains ongoing.
Julian’s parents described a boy full of promise. He was enrolled in advanced classes, loved building things, and dreamed of becoming an architect. He adored comic book heroes like Spider-Man and was devoted to his older sister Alina, who called him her best friend.
Lopez shared a heartbreaking detail: Julian always wanted her to cut his hair, and had gotten it cut just the day before the crash. As she prepared him for his funeral, she gently brushed his hair the way she had when he was a baby.
“Even though I am ripped apart right now, I’m doing it for him” Lopez said. “He’s given me the strength to push through.”
Emmanuel Amador described his son simply and painfully. “I know he’s my hero” he said. “Great boy. Really good.”