At least 8 people killed, dozens injured in Florida bus crash

In a tragic turn of events, a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck in Central Florida, resulting in the death of at least eight individuals and the injury of dozens more. The incident occurred on Tuesday morning in Marion County, north of Orlando, as the bus, transporting 53 farmworkers, collided with a 2001 Ford Ranger truck on State Road 40.

The bus was en route to Cannon Farms, a watermelon farm in Dunnellon, when the accident took place. The collision involved a 2010 International bus and a 2001 Ford Ranger truck, which “collided in a sideswiped manner” around 6:35 a.m., according to the Florida Highway Patrol. This impact caused the bus to veer off the highway, crashing through a fence before overturning.

Out of the 53 people on board, eight were tragically killed, with an additional eight in critical condition and 37 others hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. The owner of the private company, which was transporting the farmworkers, was also reported to be on board and taken to a hospital following the crash.

State Road 40 was temporarily closed in the wake of the accident, as emergency services and investigators worked to clear the scene and assess the situation. Marion County Public Schools confirmed that a school bus was not involved in the collision but was used to transport some of the injured to the hospital.

The incident has prompted a response from Cannon Farms, which announced on social media that it would be closed “out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.”

This devastating crash serves as a stark reminder of the dangers faced by farmworkers and the importance of road safety measures. The Florida Highway Patrol is currently investigating the cause of the crash.