{"id":57870,"date":"2026-03-30T18:39:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/popularnews.pw\/?page_id=57870"},"modified":"2026-03-30T18:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T18:39:12","slug":"a-father-breaks-his-silence-after-the-school-bus-horror-after-the-devastating-crash-in-tennessee-that-left-two-students-dead-and-dozens-injured-the-father-who-was-first-on-scene-is-finally-speaking","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/popularnews.pw\/?page_id=57870","title":{"rendered":"A FATHER BREAKS HIS SILENCE AFTER THE SCHOOL BUS HORROR. After the devastating crash in Tennessee that left two students dead and dozens injured, the father who was first on scene is finally speaking out\u2026 But it\u2019s not just what he did that\u2019s haunting people. It\u2019s what he refuses to describe. Those first moments\u2026 the things he saw\u2026 the details he won\u2019t say out loud \u2014 they\u2019re now leaving everyone with the same chilling question: what really happened in those minutes no one else saw?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two children died and dozens were injured after a Kenwood Middle School bus collided head-on with a dump truck in Carroll County Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n

The students, part of the Kenwood Middle Greenpower teams, were on their way to a competition to race an electric car they spent all year building. The field trip was supposed to be an opportunity to bond and make core memories together.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cOur team is so close to it because this is an all-year class,\u201d Lani Lugo said.<\/p>\n

\"Father<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

14-year-old Lani Lugo was on board the bus when the crash happened. Her father, Xaviel Lugo, was following behind the bus with his dash camera rolling. He captured the moment the bus drifted over the double line and hit the dump truck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a slight curve that was coming and the bus driver didn\u2019t navigate it right, and instead of turning just went straight,\u201d Xaviel said.
\nBefore the collision, the students were enjoying the field trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are cracking jokes. I was near the back,\u201d Lani said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hear a boom, everything\u2019s shaking and I open my eyes and I look out the window and all I see is the woods,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"2<\/p>\n

Xaviel and his wife were the first people on the scene and immediately began helping pull children to safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the screams. The screams were just horrific, horrific. As soon as that thing happened and the bus went into the embankment, you hear the most screaming,\u201d Xaviel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn\u2019t seeing [Lani] yet so I\u2019m still taking kids out. I was like, \u2018I have to focus. Gotta get them out,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Inside the bus, panic set in among the students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just remembered the people at the back exit saying, \u2018We can\u2019t get the exit open.\u2019 People yelling at everyone saying, \u2018Calm down\u2019 or people yelling, screaming, crying,\u201d Lani said.<\/p>\n

\"2<\/p>\n

From the emergency exit, Xaviel pulled his daughter into his arms. She was battered and bruised, but breathing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was like a weight was lifted. And I really wanted to just go and be like, \u2018Are you OK, baby? Are you OK? What\u2019s broken? What\u2019s hurt?\u2019 but I knew there were other kids that I also had to get out. And I know any other parent would have done the same thing,\u201d Xaviel said.<\/p>\n

Lani was transported from the scene by helicopter.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll I remember from the helicopter, \u2018This is so scary. Oh my gosh, my head hurts. My head hurts so bad,\u2019\u201d Lani said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was like, \u2018There\u2019s no way I\u2019m gonna wake up right,\u2019\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The family is sharing their story to let the community know what happened and to help prevent a similar tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t wanna rush to blame anyone because this is ultimately an accident, but this could\u2019ve been avoided,\u201d Lani said.<\/p>\n

\"Mourners<\/p>\n

\u201cTheir life was just starting,\u201d Xaviel said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have two families that don\u2019t have their loved ones. I can\u2019t imagine what they\u2019re going through, \u2019cause thinking about [how] that could\u2019ve been my daughter, is devastating,\u201d Xaviel said.<\/p>\n

He offered advice to the families and children impacted by the crash.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you have to cry, cry. If you have to talk to your parents, talk.\u201d<\/p>\n

A growing memorial of flowers and stuffed animals now sits at Kenwood Middle School as the community remembers the two young lives lost.<\/p>\n

\"TN<\/p>\n

Clarksville-Montgomery Director of Schools Dr. Jean Luna-Vedder visited hospitals Friday night to check on students and families. She said she was overwhelmed by the compassion and selflessness she saw.<\/p>\n

Luna-Vedder is inviting everyone to wear black and gold on Monday, March 30 to show support for the Kenwood community. She is also asking each school in the district to have a time and place for reflection and hope.<\/p>\n

\"WZTV\"<\/p>\n

Kenwood Middle School Principal Dr. Karen Miller said counselors will be available Monday for anyone needing to talk for as long as needed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two children died and dozens were injured after a Kenwood Middle School bus collided head-on with a dump truck in Carroll County Friday afternoon. The students, part… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57871,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-57870","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nA FATHER BREAKS HIS SILENCE AFTER THE SCHOOL BUS HORROR. After the devastating crash in Tennessee that left two students dead and dozens injured, the father who was first on scene is finally speaking out\u2026 But it\u2019s not just what he did that\u2019s haunting people. It\u2019s what he refuses to describe. Those first moments\u2026 the things he saw\u2026 the details he won\u2019t say out loud \u2014 they\u2019re now leaving everyone with the same chilling question: what really happened in those minutes no one else saw? - POPULARNEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/popularnews.pw\/?page_id=57870\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A FATHER BREAKS HIS SILENCE AFTER THE SCHOOL BUS HORROR. After the devastating crash in Tennessee that left two students dead and dozens injured, the father who was first on scene is finally speaking out\u2026 But it\u2019s not just what he did that\u2019s haunting people. It\u2019s what he refuses to describe. 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