WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A school bus overturned after a multi-vehicle crash shortly after 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 5, killing 2 and injuring others, authorities said.
According to the Polk County Sheriff's Office, the crash occurred in Winter Haven on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.
Sheriff Grady Judd said an oncoming white Chevy Malibu crossed the center line and struck the bus near its rear wheels, dislodging a tire. The impact sent the bus into a head-on collision with a Jeep that caught fire.
Authorities said the Jeep's driver and a 10th-grade girl on the bus were pronounced dead.
According to officials, 5–7 people were transported to hospitals with potentially traumatic injuries, including 1 in critical condition.
Polk County Public Schools said the bus was headed to Winter Haven High School with 39 aboard: 37 students, the driver and the driver's daughter.
The bus came to rest upside down in a ditch. Emergency responders from the Polk County Sheriff's Office and other agencies provided medical aid at the scene.
Authorities said the investigation is preliminary, and additional details are expected at a news conference Tuesday.