Deadly Montana crash kills El Paso high school coach, Hanks student
Update (March10, 2025): Ysleta ISD posted on X confirming the death of Kristina Butterfield.
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- An El Paso family was involved in a deadly car crash in the state of Montana, leaving one man dead and his daughter fighting for her life.
The community is grieving high school coach David Butterfield, a P.E. teacher at Parkland High School and Cesar Chavez Academy.
He and his daughter Kristina were visiting family in Montana when the crash happened this past weekend.
A former Parkland student said Coach Butterfield was a mentor to him in his freshman year back in 2019, calling him his "savior."
"I immediately, dropped my phone..." said Alexander Betancourt Jr., who goes by AJ. "I just started bawling my eyes out."
AJ is now a UTEP college student studying music education, to become a teacher. He said he was deeply impacted by the coach throughout his high school years.
"I would talk to him about what I was struggling with how I couldn't, like, recover from what happened," he explained. "And he would help me. He would give me guidance, and basically he would just push me to be become a better person."
AJ said the coach always made sure students never felt alone.
"He actually gave me this baseball, and I kept it in a little case all this time," he added. "So I think this will probably be the only thing I have from his memory."
His daughter Kristina is a varsity player for the Hanks High School Girls Basketball Team. Now she's in critical condition.
"She's one of the best basketball players in the city," AJ said. "I really want her to get through this, hopefully still be able to play basketball."
The Ysleta school district sent ABC-7 an official statement, reacting to the news of one of their coaches and athletes:
“The Ysleta Independent School District community was devastated to learn of the tragic passing of David Butterfield, a P.E. teacher at Cesar Chavez Academy, who was involved in a traffic accident with his family last weekend while traveling in Montana. We were further heartbroken to learn that Mr. Butterfield’s daughter, Kristina, a beloved student and varsity basketball player at Hanks High School, was seriously injured and is in critical condition. Counseling services are being made available to our campus communities to help support students and staff who may need additional assistance in coping with this terrible news. The entire Ysleta ISD community holds the Butterfield family close in our thoughts and prayers. We remain hopeful for Kristina’s recovery and stand ready to support the Butterfields in love and strength.”
AJ used four words to describe Coach Butterfield: Talented, resilient, strong, and kind.
"Be resilient and just like, never give up," the former student said. "That was always his motto, to never give up."
Miguel Padilla, head coach of the Hanks High School Girls Basketball Team and family friend of the Butterfields' organized a GoFundMe to assist the family with medical and funeral expenses.
