Teen dies following accident with MFISD bus
GRANITE SHOALS — A 19-year-old passenger in a small car died Friday after he was injured the day before in a collision with a Marble Falls Independent School District bus.
Michael Fluty of Granite Shoals was airlifted to Austin’s University Medical Center Brackenridge shortly after the 4 p.m. accident, which tangled rush-hour traffic for miles in both directions on RR 1431 between Marble Falls and Granite Shoals.
IN PICTURE: A 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier is hauled away after it was involved in a collision with a Marble Falls Independent School District bus Thursday afternoon. Michael Fluty, 19 and a passenger in the vehicle, died at Austin’s University Medical Center Brackenridge Friday morning, investigators said. Staff photo by Chris Porter
Fluty was pronounced dead Friday morning, according to Brackenridge officials.
The vehicle’s driver, identified by police as 17-year-old Mark Cooksey of Granite Shoals, also was taken to Brackenridge, where he was treated and released.
Sgt. Gary Boshears of the Granite Shoals Police Department said Fluty suffered his fatal injuries after the car he was riding in crossed into oncoming traffic around 4 p.m. Thursday.
The car, a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, was headed east when it was involved in a collision with the westbound bus, Boshears said.
"(The car) swerved into oncoming traffic," he said. "We’re still looking into the reason why (it) swerved over."
Seven students riding on the bus were not injured, according to MFISD Superintendent Ryder Warren.
Warren on Thursday praised bus driver Terry Stamey.
"She did a wonderful, wonderful job bringing the bus to a stop following the collision and looking out (after) the collision," Warren said.
Crews from Marble Falls Area EMS Inc. examined the children at the scene before they were loaded into a second bus and taken home, Warren added.
Traffic was backed up for more than an hour as officers with EMS, the Police Department, the Granite Shoals Fire Department, the Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department, the Department of Public Safety and the Burnet County Sheriff’s Office cleared the scene.
Boshears said the accident — which occurred one day before students were released for Spring Break — shows the need for drivers to stay safe.
"We want to make sure people are careful over Spring Break," he said. "There will be a lot of people driving around. This shows the importance of it."
Funeral information for Fluty was not available Friday afternoon. The collision remains under investigation.
