A school bus overturned onto its roof during a multivehicle crash in central Florida on Monday morning, killing two people, including a 10th grade student, and leaving several others injured, authorities said.
The bus was carrying 39 people to Winter Haven High School when an oncoming car crossed the center line and triggered the crash, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference.
“It was a horrible crash,” Judd said. “It was a terrible, tragic morning. We had a beautiful 10th grade girl lose her life.”
The school bus was traveling on a Winter Haven road shortly after 6 a.m. when the approaching car struck its side near the rear wheels after crossing the center line, according to Judd. The collision tore a tire from the bus and sent it into the path of an oncoming Jeep, which caught fire after the head-on impact.
One person inside the Jeep was killed. Judd said five to seven people were taken to hospitals with potentially traumatic injuries, including one person who remained in critical condition early Monday.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office via AP
The bus carried 37 high school students, the driver and the driver’s daughter. First responders spent several hours transporting injured people to hospitals, identifying those involved and reuniting students with their parents, Judd said.
“I think this is the most horrific bus tragedy we’ve had in decades, as far back as I can remember,” Judd said.
MORE ON THIS: Discover Lesley Kiddell-Spencer’s Journey: Age, Deafness, Bargain Hunt Role, and More
The crash came just over a month after another Polk County school bus was involved in a wreck in Lakeland on Sept. 3. No students were aboard that bus, authorities said, and one person suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid said students regularly practice emergency drills, including how to escape from a bus after a crash.
“This event could have been far worse. You can see the condition of the bus, you can see its current positioning,” Heid said. The sheriff and superintendent spoke directly in front of the overturned bus, which came to rest in a ditch alongside the road.
Helicopter footage recorded by WESH-TV later Monday showed the severity of the scene. The front of the school bus was crushed and twisted, while the vehicle appeared to be missing one of its four rear tires as it lay on its roof.
Justin Sharpless, chairman of the Polk County school board, urged the community to support the family of the girl who died, along with Winter Haven High School and its staff.
“There are really no words that can take away the pain of losing a young person,” he said.
