Two people died Monday morning when a school bus was hit in Winter Haven, including a 10th grade female student riding aboard the bus. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the crash involved multiple vehicles and left the bus with severe damage.
Judd said it was a white Chevy Malibu that veered across the yellow lines at 6:13 a.m., clipped the back of the bus and set off the chain reaction. The bus then swerved from the eastbound lane of Lucerne Park Road into the westbound lane and struck an oncoming Jeep head on.
Winter Haven High School bus
The bus carried 39 people, including students, the driver and her 9-year-old daughter. Judd said one person in a separate vehicle also died. He called it “It was a horrible crash,” and said, “It was a terrible, tragic morning. We had a beautiful 10th grade girl lose her life. I think this is the most horrific bus tragedy we’ve had in decades, as far back as I can remember.”
The crash involved a Winter Haven High School bus, and Polk County Traffic Homicide is investigating. Judd said the driver of the Chevy Malibu is cooperating with authorities. That leaves the focus on how the collision unfolded on Lucerne Park Road and why the bus crossed into oncoming traffic after the initial impact.
Polk County response
At least 100 emergency personnel responded, and three victims were air-lifted. Other victims were taken to hospitals, including Advent Health Heart of Florida, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, Winter Haven Hospital and Arnold Palmer Children’s Hospital. State Road 544 remained closed from Old Lucerne Park Road to the Walmart Distribution Center.
Frederick Heid said, “This event could have been far worse. You can see the condition of the bus, you can see its current positioning,” as crews worked around the wreckage. The wreck left the front end of the bus mangled and the vehicle on its roof in a ditch beside the road.
Polk County Traffic Homicide
The immediate next step is the traffic homicide investigation, which will have to sort out the sequence of impacts and the final condition of the injured victims who were taken away after the crash. For the families tied to the bus, the first known facts are already the hardest ones: a Monday morning ride ended in a fatal collision, and 39 people were caught inside it.
