ANDREWS Andrews and at least one of its neighboring cities came together Tuesday for an Andrews High School Band fundraiser.
Held at the Mustang Bowl, plates of pork chops, green beans and potato salad were served in two shifts — 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Sewell Auto Group donated all the food and supplies and all the proceeds went to the AHS band, which was involved in a fiery Nov. 19 crash that left the AHS Band Director Darin Johns and longtime retired teacher Marc Boswell dead.
A preliminary investigation report from the Texas Department of Public Safety showed a 2016 Ford F-350 truck, driven by Nathan Paul Haile, 59, of Midland, was traveling westbound in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 20 for unknown reasons.
A 2005 Motor Coach Industries bus and a 2018 Freightliner bus were traveling eastbound in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 20. The report issued by the Texas Department of Public Safety says the F-350 struck the 2005 Motor Coach Industries bus in the outside lane. The 2018 Freightliner bus also struck the Ford.
The Ford caught fire upon impact. The report said the 2018 Freightliner sustained minor damage.
The crash occurred near Big Spring and sent 13 students to area hospitals including 11 to Scenic Mountain in Big Spring and two others to Lubbock’s University Medical Center. Three were killed in the crash.
The band was on the way to support the Andrews Mustangs in an area playoff game in the second round of the Class 4A Division 1 against Springtown. The game was postponed until Monday following the crash.
Donny Booth, chief executive officer of Permian Regional Medical Center in Andrews, said a similar luncheon was held to support first responders and healthcare workers in Andrews County.
The auto group was very impressed with how well the event went.
“… We have always worked well together as a community leadership to make sure that the community and citizens of Andrews are as well protected and taken care of as they could be. So then, of course, when the tragedy occurred with the bus accident, with the Andrews band and Andrews Independent School District. So auto group, again, reached out to me and asked if I would help just kind of pull people together,” Booth said.
He reached out to the mayor, county judge and other officials and said Sewell Auto Group wanted to have a fundraiser. They had 3,000 plates to be sold for $10 each.
“They also wanted to feed the the band students as well as the teachers for free, so they’re allowed to come and eat for free today as well. And then of course, we’re accepting donations and selling the plates for raising the money,” Booth said. “And it’s a great cause.”
He added that when an event like the bus accident occurs, it takes time for the students, teachers and the people that were directly involved to move forward.
“We’re just trying to support them the best way we can and definitely make sure that they don’t have any financial needs or any anything of that nature. There’s already been a large outpouring from not only community members, but also businesses, local businesses, as well who have donated a lot of of money and food and anything that they could to try to try to help. Matter of fact, all of the individuals that were hospitalized in the different area hospitals, the school, just through donations, was able to pick up food and lodging for all of their family members in those areas …,” Booth said.
“… We’re working on trying to raise as much money as we can just to try to ease any of the burdens that we can for the victims …,” Booth said.
Examples would be medical expenses or band equipment that was damaged in the accident, or if they are off work and having trouble paying bills.
“Whatever it is that they’re going to need help with. We’re going to want to make sure that we can support them through this through this tragedy,” Booth said
Mayor Flora Braly said Andrews consistently comes together.
“And we’ve had so much support. We’re here today with the Andrews ISD, the booster club and there’s all sorts of other officials. The county judge is here and a lot of volunteers. And that’s just the spirit of cooperation that we have here in Andrews. And … I want to just also thank all the surrounding communities. They have they have really expressed a lot of prayers and donations and we appreciate that so much,” Braly said.
Braly said her reaction after hearing about the accident was probably similar to everyone else.
“We were heartbroken. We were heartbroken that we lost two of our members and even the other driver and the students that suffered some injuries, also. … We’re really thankful to have our students back and getting healthy every day and we’re trying to rally around them and do the right thing,” Braly said.
Randy Knelsen, a volunteer firefighter from Seminole, said five of them turned out Tuesday. There are about 38 members.
Knelsen said they were lending a hand because it was close to home. He added that he was able to get a smoker to cook the food.
Andrews and Seminole are in the same high school football class, so they are rivals in a way.
“… But when it comes down to stuff like this, it’s mind over matter,” Knelsen said.
He said he was shocked when he heard about the bus crash “because I know if it’d be something from Seminole it’d be hard to handle and we’d hope that everybody (would) pitch in like they are here.”
Jamie Erickson said he got a call from a band booster Saturday morning saying they wanted to have a fundraiser.
Word got to the Sewell Auto Group and Seminole and the hospitals, fire departments and EMS personnel pitched in.
“It’s the coolest thing in the world to me is when a community gets together …,” Ericksen said.
He added that there were 3,000 pork chops, 200 gallons of green beans and 1,000 pounds of potato salad.
Rudy Ybarra was busy cooking the green beans. His daughter Aubrey is a freshman trombone player in the AHS band.
Ybarra said Aubrey was “good,” but she had a small fracture across the bridge of her nose.
“There was no displacement or anything, so she turned out all right,” Ybarra said. But it threw a scare into everyone.
He said her trombone is “gone.”
Aubrey plays softball, as well, so they were heading to a softball game that weekend.
“… We are packing up, loading an RV to head to her software All tournament that same weekend because after she got back she was going have to try somewhere else to go play. We had the turn around and go over the so it was kind of tough,” Ybarra said.
Along with Aubrey, he has two boys that have graduated. One is attending Hardin-Simmons University and the other is living in Andrews and working for West Texas Consultants. He also has a younger daughter Ariana, who attends Devonian Elementary School.
