Two killed including student in 'horrific' Florida school bus rollover crash

Two killed including student in 'horrific' Florida school bus rollover crash A school bus flipped onto its roof on Monday morning on Winter Haven road in central Florida - Bookmark Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in Two people, including a 10th grade girl, died and several others were injured on Monday morning when a school bus flipped onto its roof during a multivehicle crash in central Florida, according to authorities. The bus was carrying 39 people toward Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven when an oncoming car crossed the center line and triggered the collision, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd stated 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." Judd explained that the bus was traveling along a Winter Haven road shortly after 6 a.m. when the oncoming car crossed the center line, striking the bus near its rear tires. The impact tore off the tire, driving the bus head-on into an oncoming Jeep, which subsequently caught on fire. One individual inside the Jeep was killed. Judd stated that between five and seven people were rushed to the hospital with potentially traumatic injuries, with one remaining in critical condition early Monday. There were 39 occupants on the bus in total—37 high school students, the driver, and the driver's daughter. First responders spent the initial hours transporting victims to the hospital, establishing their identities, and reuniting students with their parents, according to Judd. "I think this is the most horrific bus tragedy we’ve had in decades, as far back as I can remember," Judd said. The crash follows a separate incident on Sept. 3 involving another Polk County school bus in Lakeland. Officials confirmed no students were on board during that crash, and one person suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid noted that students routinely practice emergency drills explaining how to evacuate a bus following an accident. "This event could have been far worse. You can see the condition of the bus, you can see its current positioning," Heid said. Both the sheriff and superintendent delivered their statements directly in front of the overturned bus, which had landed upside down in a roadside ditch. Justin Sharpless, chairman of the Polk County school board, called on the community to unite in supporting the family of the student who died, alongside the school and its staff. "There are really no words that can take away the pain of losing a young person," he said.