A major multi-vehicle crash involving a Polk County school bus has shut down Lucerne Park Road in both directions in northeast Winter Haven, with police warning drivers the closure could last a significant amount of time. The crash happened around 6 a.m. Monday on Lucerne Park Road west of Jacaranda Avenue, near Brookhaven Village, according to police.
The closure stretches from Old Lucerne Park Road to the Walmart Distribution Center, according to fox13news.com, which reported that the road will remain closed for a significant amount of time while crews work the scene. Drivers are being urged to take alternate routes to bypass the area entirely.
Separately, wftv.com reported that a school bus was involved in the multi-vehicle crash and that multiple patients were transported from the scene. That outlet said authorities had not yet released additional information about the number or severity of injuries.
Conflicting Reports on Severity
Accounts of the crash's severity diverge. WKMG reported that the City of Winter Haven confirmed the crash was fatal, an attribution tied to the city's social media posting, as detailed in the WKMG report. Other coverage, however, said authorities had not released the number or severity of injuries, leaving the two versions unreconciled in available reporting.
Police have not confirmed what led up to the crash, and per the same WKMG account, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd was expected to give an update at 10 a.m. Monday. It remains unclear what caused the crash or which school the bus involved was headed to, fox13news.com noted.
Dispatch Traffic Described Bus Overturning
Initial Polk County Fire Rescue dispatch traffic described the incident as a vehicle striking a school bus and indicated the bus had overturned, according to dailyridge.com. The outlet reported the crash was first called in shortly after 6:10 a.m. Monday in the Lucerne Park Road and Wildflower Drive area of Winter Haven.
A subsequent dispatch transmission reported that the school bus was on fire, though there was no official confirmation of the extent of any fire or damage to the bus, dailyridge.com reported. Multiple Polk County Fire Rescue and Winter Haven emergency units responded to the scene, and additional medical units along with a medical helicopter were requested, the same report noted.
This remains a developing situation, and Hoodline will update this story as police release additional information about injuries, the cause of the crash and when Lucerne Park Road is expected to reopen.
