WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Two people died Monday morning, including a high school student, when a car crossed over lanes into a school bus’s path in Winter Haven, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said during a press conference.
The crash occurred about 6:13 a.m. Investigators said a westbound white Chevrolet Malibu crossed over into the eastbound lane and hit the bus. The impact pushed the bus into the westbound lane, where it struck a silver Jeep head-on before overturning into a ditch.
The Jeep caught fire, and its driver died at the scene. A female 10th-grade student on the bus also died at the scene.
The sheriff’s office said investigators have not determined why the Malibu crossed into the bus’s lane.
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The school bus carried 39 people: 37 Winter Haven High students, a Polk County Public Schools bus driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter.
The 36 surviving students were taken to area hospitals, with seven going by ambulance and three airlifted. The bus driver and her daughter were taken to a hospital by ambulance.
Three occupants of other vehicles involved also went to hospitals for treatment.
During the press conference, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office said most of those injured were treated and released Monday.
Winter Haven firefighters and police, Haines City police, Polk County Fire Rescue and Polk County Public Schools assisted deputies at the scene.
To view the press conference in its entirety, see the video below:
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