Montgomery County Community Mourns: Parents Share...

The community of Montgomery County is currently in a state of mourning following a tragic accident involving a school bus that claimed the lives of two middle school students in Carroll County. The incident, which occurred on a seemingly ordinary Friday, has left a deep impact on everyone connected to Kenwood Middle School in Clarksville, Tennessee.

On Saturday, a heartfelt gathering took place at Kenwood Middle School to honor the memories of Zoe and Arianna, the eighth-graders who tragically lost their lives in the crash. The atmosphere was heavy with emotion as mourners came together to share their grief, offering solace to one another through tears and embraces. This collective mourning provided a moment for the community to begin processing the devastating events and seek understanding about what led to the crash.

The accident unfolded around midday on March 27, as the school bus was en route from Kenwood Middle School to a much-anticipated field trip at the Toyota Hub City Grand Prix Greenpower USA Race, hosted at Jackson Rockabilly Stadium. The bus was carrying 24 students and five adults at the time.

Among those traveling behind the ill-fated bus were Xaviel Lugo and his wife, Rosalee Lugo, who were following closely, deeply concerned for the wellbeing of their daughter who was on board. Their presence added a personal layer to the unfolding tragedy, highlighting the shared anxiety and sorrow felt throughout the community.

“They had spent all year building a car, a race car, from the ground up,” Xaviel said.

However, the students’ excitement about racing their homemade cars took a deadly turn at the intersection of Highway 70 and Cedar Grove in Carroll County.

According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, the school bus was involved in a crash with a Tennessee Department of Transportation dump truck and a Chevrolet Trailblazer. Two students died at the scene, and at least seven people were reportedly injured.

“I swerved out the way from all the debris and into the grass area, parked it as quickly as I was able to,” Xaviel recalled. “My wife and I jumped out the car. She went straight for the bus, and I was calling 911 to get emergency services out as quickly as possible.”

Before emergency crews arrived, the couple said they jumped into action and helped the students get to safety.

“One of the first boys, Wesley, he was amazing,” Xaviel explained. “I don’t know if he was hurt or anything, but as soon as we were able to get him out the bus, you didn’t even have to tell him. He knew exactly what he had to do, and that was to help his classmates.”

Xaviel said he was able to find and save his own daughter from the bus, adding that she was one of the students flown to a hospital due to the nature of her injuries. Even though she’s still getting treatment, she’s expected to be okay.

“My daughter saw one of the girls that passed away… I just wish she never would have experienced that,” Xaviel told Nexstar’s News 2.

Ashley Bourne said her son was also on the bus and called her after the crash, which is something that will haunt her.

“He went to turn the camera in FaceTime, and that’s when I saw the bus, and that’s where the panic kind of set in,” Bourne described. “My son, when he said he jumped out the back of it — it was about an eight-foot drop.”

Her son reportedly suffered a concussion following the incident.

The night after the deadly crash, the Montgomery County community came together at Kenwood Middle School to pray and support those who were grieving. People lit candles, set up balloons, and brought stuffed animals to create a vigil honoring the girls who died, Arianna and Zoe.

“I definitely want to say that I’m praying for everybody that was involved, especially those families that lost those beautiful girls,” Bourne said.

Xaviel said Clarksville is strong and comes together in times of need, such as this.

“I don’t know how I would have handled that if it was my daughter, and so we have to support them and be there and have resources for other kids to be able to talk and cry and let it out and support each other and just be there for them and let them process it in their own way,” Xaviel explained.

Follow these links if you would like to donate to the GoFundMe pages set up to support Arianna and Zoe’s families.

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Montgomery County Community Mourns: Parents Share Heart-Wrenching Accounts of Fatal School Bus Tragedy

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