An Arizona man has been sentenced to seven years in prison after crashing into a school bus last year, leaving dozens of students and staff injured.
Nicolas Luis Rodriguez was sentenced Monday, June 15, after pleading guilty to three counts of aggravated assault with severe injury and one count of criminal damage. He was also ordered to pay nearly $180,000 in restitution to the victims and for damage to the school bus.
Rodriguez also pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, according to reports.
The crash happened on April 1, 2025, while students and staff from the Kingman Unified School District were traveling to a conference in Tucson.
Their bus was near the end of a six-hour trip when Rodriguez’s car collided with the corner of the vehicle on Interstate 10 near Marana, Arizona.
The impact caused the school bus to land on its side. Rodriguez’s car reportedly veered across three lanes of I-10 after the crash.
No one was killed, but the wreck left 41 people on the bus injured. The injured included 35 students, the driver and school staff.
Three students suffered severe injuries. One student lost a hand in the crash.
According to the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Rodriguez allegedly told troopers he was rushing to a job interview and cut across lanes because he did not want to miss his route.
He also admitted to using a THC vape earlier that day. Troopers alleged he showed signs of impairment while driving.
During the court hearing, Julie Palz read a statement on behalf of her daughter, student Kaitlyn Holme, who needed surgery for the injuries she suffered in the crash.
“Somedays I wake up with searing pain in my elbow that I can do nothing to prevent,” Holme said in the statement. “Many days I struggle with itching under the scars I can do nothing to relieve. I will never be able to follow my brother into the military and as I get older I will likely have to get more surgery to help with my elbow.”
Rodriguez also addressed the court and said he took full responsibility for what happened.
“Many innocent people’s lives were changed that day, changed in ways that I will never be able to process,” he told Judge Casey McGinley. “I doubt that I will ever go through a day in my life where I won’t think about the accident and the victims.”
“If I had just made more intelligible and reasonable decisions on the day of the accident, this could have been avoided,” Rodriguez added.
