MIDDLEBURG, Fla. -- Two people are dead after a car smashes into a bus filled with elementary students.
It started out as a normal bus ride home for third grader Dylan Robertson. “Our bus had stopped and she turned the blinker on before we went to stop,” said Robertson.
The bus was turning off Blanding Boulevard, but then Dylan bounced out of his seat. “We went to go turn and the car came and hit us and the bus like went up in the air,” said Robertson.
The car slammed into the back of the bus, sending the kids into a panic. “At first she said to stay in our seats, but then the driver saw flames and she said for all of us to get in a single file line and go out. I looked behind and you could see flames,” said Robertson.
Dylan's mom got the call, saying her son's bus was in an accident. The school didn't tell her how bad it was or that two people in the car died. “Oh my goodness, nightmare. My first thing was are you ok. I was worried he might have saw something,” said Julie Fife.
Luckily the little third grader walked away, but that hasn’t been the case for many others at this intersection. His mom drives in this area all the time. “This is just probably the millionth wreck that's happened over here so I don't know what they're going to do. They won't put up a street light. I mean speed bumps, flashing lights. I don’t know what it's going to take. I guess one accident after another. It's just horrible,” said Fife.
The driver of the car, Elisabeth Brantley, 19, died at the scene as did one of the passengers, 48-year-old Paul Bruchesky. Brantley’s sister, 16-year-old Samantha was taken to Shands Jacksonville with minor injuries.
22 children were on the bus. Four of them were treated for minor injuries.
