Florida 10th Grader Among Two Killed in School Bus Crash
A wrong-way driver caused a collision that also critically injured one person and hospitalized dozens of students.
A horrific school bus crash in Winter Haven, Florida, on Monday morning resulted in two fatalities, including a 10th-grade student, and left one person in critical condition, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
The accident occurred at approximately 6:15 a.m. when a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction crossed into the school bus's lane and collided with it. The impact caused the bus to then hit a Jeep head-on. The driver of the Jeep was the second person killed in the crash.
"It was a horrible crash," Sheriff Judd stated during a press conference. "We had a beautiful 10th grade girl lose her life. She was in the bus."
Judd reported that the bus was carrying 39 individuals: 37 high school students, the bus driver, and the driver's nine-year-old daughter. Emergency services responded to multiple trauma alerts, with victims transported to hospitals via helicopter, ambulance, and private vehicles. Approximately 37 students were hospitalized following the incident.
The cause of the wrong-way vehicle entering the bus's lane is currently under investigation.