A school bus carrying 39 people toward a Winter Haven high school was struck at its rear wheels by a car that drifted across the center line; the bus then hit a Jeep head-on, setting off a four-vehicle chain reaction that killed a 16-year-old student and a 26-year-old driver and sent dozens more to area hospitals. More than a month later, investigators still cannot say why the car crossed into oncoming traffic in the first place.
The crash happened the morning of October 5 on Lucerne Park Road, though accounts of the exact time differ: ClickOrlando reported the collision occurred at 6:15 a.m. about a mile and a half off Highway 27, while the Sun Sentinel put it around 6:12 a.m. on the same stretch of road. A white Chevy Malibu traveling the opposite direction drifted over the center line and struck the bus, which was carrying 37 high school students along with the driver and her 9-year-old daughter, according to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, as reported by ABC News.
After being struck, the bus crashed head-on into a silver Jeep, and a fourth vehicle, a Kia Forte, then struck the rear of the Malibu, ClickOrlando reported. The Jeep's driver, identified as 26-year-old Deshawn Smith of Haines City, was killed, along with Winter Haven High School sophomore Adinaluz Prieto Oyola, 16, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Officials said Smith was traveling under the speed limit on his way to work when his Jeep was hit.
A Chaotic Scene With Dozens Injured
Sheriff Judd described the aftermath in stark terms, calling it “a horrible crash” and “a terrible, tragic morning,” according to ABC News. Thirty-five people were transported to area hospitals, per the same ABC News report, while trauma alerts were issued for five to seven of them, Judd said. Emergency helicopters flew some victims to the hospital, the Polk County Sheriff's Office said, and ABC News reported that three students were airlifted.
Of the students on board, 22 were taken to the hospital by another bus, four were transported by their families, and seven students along with the bus driver and her daughter were taken by ambulance, Judd said, per ABC News. One person was in critical condition the day of the crash, and three people remained hospitalized as of Tuesday but were expected to fully recover, ClickOrlando reported.
The Bus Driver's Escape
The bus driver, identified as Jessica Dye, was pinned against her seat inside the bus but managed to free herself and immediately began helping students to safety, officials said. Judd said Dye had been traveling in her lane under the speed limit at the time of the crash and had no realistic opportunity to regain control of the bus once it was struck, according to ClickOrlando's report. Many students called their families on their cell phones to report the crash as it unfolded, and officials worked afterward to reunite students with their parents, ABC News reported.
Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid said the district intentionally drills students on how to evacuate a bus in an accident, crediting that training with helping more students avoid serious injury, including the driver, according to ABC News. Traffic homicide investigators responded to the scene, and the emergency response drew in the Polk County Sheriff's Office, Winter Haven Fire, Winter Haven Police, Haines City Police, Polk County Fire Rescue and Polk County Public Schools, ABC News reported.
Driver Told Authorities She Does Not Remember the Crash
The Malibu was being driven by 23-year-old nursing student Maria Jimenez, who was on her way to work when the collision occurred, according to ABC News. Jimenez cooperated with authorities but told them she does not remember the crash, Judd said. Investigators said Tuesday they still did not know why she crossed the center line, according to WTXL.
The National Transportation Safety Board said in a post on X that it would investigate the crash in coordination with the Polk County Sheriff's Office, WTXL reported. Sheriff Judd said Jimenez may be cited for crossing the double yellow line and could face civil penalties, according to WFLA. As of the most recent reporting, no criminal charges had been filed. The investigation remained ongoing as of Tuesday, ABC News reported, with the cause of the center-line crossing still unresolved more than a month after the crash upended a Monday morning commute for dozens of Winter Haven families.
