A 10th-grade girl was among those killed after a crash involving a Winter Haven High School bus carrying 37 students.
WINTER HAVEN, FL— Two people, including a 10th-grade girl, were killed Monday morning when a school bus carrying students to Winter Haven High School was involved in a multivehicle crash and overturned, authorities said.
The crash happened at about 6:13 a.m. Oct. 5 on Lucerne Park Road, also known as State Road 544, in Winter Haven, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. Investigators said a white Chevrolet Malibu traveling west crossed the center line and struck the school bus near its rear wheels. The collision sent the bus into the opposite lane, where it collided head-on with a silver Jeep before overturning.
The 10th-grade student died in the crash, Judd said. A person in the Jeep also was killed. Authorities had not publicly identified either person as of Monday afternoon. Several other people were taken to hospitals, and Judd said earlier Monday that one remained in critical condition. Authorities described the investigation and injury information as preliminary.
The school bus was carrying 39 people: 37 high school students, the bus driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter, according to the sheriff. The bus was headed to Winter Haven High School when the crash occurred. First responders spent hours transporting injured people, identifying those involved and helping reunite students with their families.
Judd said a preliminary review of video indicated that the school bus was traveling in its lane before the Malibu crossed the center line. Investigators had not determined why the Malibu crossed into the bus’s path. The driver of the Malibu was cooperating with investigators, authorities said. A Polk County traffic homicide team was investigating the crash.
The initial impact near the rear of the bus caused it to lose a tire and move into the westbound lane, according to Judd. The bus then collided with the Jeep, which caught fire. Another vehicle also was affected by the crash, bringing the total number of vehicles involved to four, authorities said.
The crash brought a large emergency response to the area. Authorities said about 100 emergency personnel responded, and helicopters, ambulances and private vehicles were used to take injured people to hospitals. Three people were airlifted, according to local authorities. Officials said five to seven trauma alerts were issued during the response.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid said students practice emergency drills that include how to evacuate a school bus after an accident. Heid said those preparations may have helped students respond after the bus overturned. The bus came to rest upside down in a ditch alongside the roadway.
The crash came just over a month after another Polk County school bus was involved in a Sept. 3 collision in Lakeland. Authorities said no students were aboard that bus, and one person suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Monday’s crash, however, brought a far more serious toll to the school district and Winter Haven community.
Authorities said the investigation into Monday’s crash remained active. The sheriff’s office said it did not plan to release bus video or 911 recordings Monday, and officials expected to provide additional information at another news conference Tuesday. The identities of the people killed had not been released publicly as of Monday afternoon.
Author note: Last updated October 5, 2026.