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Terrifying new footage shows a truck swerving across a Texas road moments before it plowed into a church bus, killing 13 people.
Witness Jody Kuchler, 55, said he recorded the video while calling authorities in an attempt to get the driver off the road.
The clip, published by My San Antonio, shows the White Dodge pickup truck recklessly swerving across the lanes, almost causing several crashes before the deadly incident Wednesday.
Kuchler kept recording for 20 minutes, remaining at a safe distance behind the vehicle, which authorities said was driven by 20-year-old Jack Dillon Young in Uvalde County.
'He kept going off the road and over into incoming traffic,' Kuchler told KENS5. 'There was a couple of cars and trucks that actually got off on the shoulder.'
Audio of calls obtained by KSAT reveals how Kuchler tried to alert authorities about the driver's behavior.
'He's going to hit somebody head on or he's going to kill his own damn self. Somebody needs to get this guy off the road,' the witness can be heard saying.
'He's going like 80 miles an hour right now,' he later added.
The witness told KENS5 that authorities in neighboring Real County had declined to send help because the truck, which was approaching Real County, was still in Uvalde County.
'His response was, "It's not in Real County," Kuchler said, recounting the conversation.
The audio published by KSAT includes a conversation with a dispatcher at the Real County sheriff's office saying, 'That's going to be Uvalde County, Sir.'
A frustrated Kuchler can be heard replying and highlighting the urgency of the situation, saying the driver was 'all over the road'.
'We're talking about safety. Somebody needs to get this guy off the road,' the witness said.
He had stopped recording when the head-on collision occurred moments later. Kuchler previous said Young had apologized and admitted he was texting at the wheel.
Kuchler recalled on Friday: 'He said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was texting." I said, "Son, do you know what you just did?" He said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."'
Another passenger of the minibus returning from a three-day choir retreat was in serious but stable condition at a hospital. Young was also hospitalized for his injuries and remained in the hospital as of Friday.
The 20-year-old had been a football player at Leakey High School and had no previous criminal history, the San Antonio Express-News reported.
Kuchler said he talked to Young while the young man was pinned in his Dodge truck.
The man of Leakey, Texas, then said he couldn't do much to save the elderly people in the bus, reported My San Antonio.
Department of Public Safety Sergeant Conrad Hein declined to comment on Friday on the cause of the crash or if texting might have played a role. But officials have said the truck driver appeared to have crossed the center line.
Federal investigators would not comment on the report Friday. However, Jennifer Morrison, the investigator in charge of the team from the National Transportation Safety Board, said Friday that distracted driving will be among the issues investigated.
Authorities say Young veered into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with a minibus carrying mostly elderly churchgoers back from a three-day choir retreat.