Ocala, Florida – A tragic bus crash in Marion County, Florida, claimed the lives of eight people after a truck collided with the vehicle carrying farmworkers from Mexico. The driver of the truck, Bryan Maclean Howard, 40, had been involved in another crash just three days prior, as revealed by a Florida judge on Wednesday.
Howard was swiftly ordered to be held without bail and is now facing eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter following the devastating crash that occurred. Marion County Judge LeAnn Mackey-Barnes expressed concern over Howard’s driving history, citing a previous incident in which he left the scene of an accident.
During a court appearance, Mackey-Barnes disclosed that Howard had been in an auto accident days before the fatal collision. A report from law enforcement authorities detailed Howard’s statement after the crash, mentioning that he had been driving cautiously due to his recent involvement in a separate accident where he crashed his mother’s vehicle into a tree.
The bus crash left a total of 40 individuals hospitalized, with 8 of them in critical condition, as reported by the authorities following the early morning incident in Marion County, approximately 80 miles from Orlando. Tragically, all eight victims were Mexican nationals holding temporary H-2A visas for agricultural work, confirmed by the Mexican foreign secretary on Tuesday evening.
The bus was en route to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, carrying around 50 passengers, primarily farmworkers. Howard, visibly injured during the court proceedings, requested a public defender as he detailed his limited monthly income from sporadic construction work and minimal savings.
As the community mourns the loss of lives in this tragic accident, investigations continue into the circumstances surrounding the crash and Howard’s role in the devastating incident. The repercussions of the collision continue to be felt throughout the region as authorities work to understand what led to the catastrophic event.