A devastating school bus crash in Central Florida killed two people Monday morning, including a 10th-grade girl who was riding to school.
The multi-vehicle wreck happened shortly after 6 a.m. on Lucerne Park Road in Winter Haven, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
The bus was carrying 37 students from Winter Haven High School, along with the driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the crash began when a Chevrolet Malibu traveling west crossed the center line and slammed into the eastbound school bus near its rear wheels.
The impact tore a tire from the bus and caused the driver to lose control.
The school bus then crossed into the opposite lane and collided head-on with a Jeep.
The Jeep caught fire after the impact.
The bus overturned onto its roof.
A 10th-grade girl riding on the bus was killed in the crash.
A person inside the Jeep also died.
Authorities have not yet publicly released the victims’ identities.
“It was a horrible crash,” Judd said during a Monday morning briefing. “It was a terrible, tragic morning.”
The sheriff described the student who died as a “beautiful 10th grade girl.”
Emergency crews rushed to the scene and began treating and transporting victims while investigators worked to determine exactly what happened.
Authorities initially said about 26 children were taken to hospitals or otherwise evaluated following the crash.
Judd later said between five and seven people suffered injuries serious enough to be considered potentially traumatic.
At least one person remained in critical condition Monday morning.
The full extent of the injuries was still being determined as students were reunited with their families.
In total, 39 people were aboard the bus when the crash occurred.
That included the 37 high school students, the bus driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter.
The crash involved multiple vehicles, with investigators saying at least three other vehicles became caught up in the wreck.
Deputies are now focusing on why the Chevrolet Malibu crossed into the bus’s lane.
Authorities have not said whether speed, distraction, impairment or a medical emergency played a role.
The collision shut down Lucerne Park Road in both directions while emergency crews, investigators and tow trucks worked at the scene.
The roadway was expected to remain closed for an extended period.
Polk County school officials also responded to the tragedy as news spread through the Winter Haven High School community.
The district said students and families affected by the crash were being supported as authorities continued identifying the injured and contacting relatives.
Sheriff Judd said first responders spent hours transporting victims, identifying everyone involved and reuniting students with their parents.
Investigators are now reconstructing the sequence of events and examining the vehicles involved.
No criminal charges had been announced as of Monday morning.
The crash remains under investigation.
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