WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (TNND) — Two people, including a 10th-grade girl, were killed in a school bus crash involving multiple vehicles on Monday morning.
The incident occurred shortly after 6 a.m. when a white Chevy Malibu crossed the center line and struck the bus, which was transporting 39 people—37 students, the driver, and the driver's daughter—en route to Winter Haven High School. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the collision tore off a tire from the bus, leading it to collide head-on with a Jeep that subsequently caught fire. The driver of the Jeep was confirmed dead.
Authorities reported that five to seven individuals sustained potentially traumatic injuries, with at least one in critical condition. Emergency services responded quickly, transporting the injured to local hospitals.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid emphasized that students are trained to evacuate buses during emergencies. “This event could have been far worse,” he noted, referencing the condition of the overturned bus, which came to rest in a ditch.
The investigation is ongoing, with more details expected in a news conference scheduled for Tuesday.