WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A school bus crash in central Florida killed two people Monday morning, including a 10th-grade student, after a car crossed the center line and struck the bus, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference.
The crash happened around 6:15 a.m. on Lucerne Park Road (State Road 544) on the northeast side of Winter Haven. According to Judd, a white Chevrolet Malibu traveling westbound crossed the double-yellow center line of the two-lane road and struck the bus’s tandem rear wheels, causing it to lose traction. The bus then crossed into the westbound lane and collided head-on with a silver Jeep.
The student, a sophomore at Winter Haven High School, was killed aboard the bus. The driver of the Jeep also died. The bus was carrying 39 people — 37 students headed to Winter Haven High School, the bus driver, and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter.
Between five and seven people were transported as trauma alerts, one in critical condition, Judd said. The Jeep caught fire after the collision; the bus did not. More than 100 first responders came to the scene, and a local church was used as a reunification site for students and parents.
Lucerne Park Road remained closed in both directions through the morning as investigators worked the scene.
