Juan P. Carmona

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.