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Two people died, including a high school student, and several others suffered injuries after a Florida school bus was struck in a multi-vehicle crash in Polk County on Monday morning.
The crash involved the school bus and three other vehicles, sending multiple people to nearby hospitals. As of a news conference on Monday, authorities confirmed the two deaths and said one person remained in critical condition.
Police have not identified the tenth grade Winter Haven High School student who died in the crash. The other deceased person was inside a silver Jeep that collided with the school bus.
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Authorities in Polk County, Florida, respond to a fatal crash involving a school bus on Monday, October 5, 2026. (WTVT)
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said the accident occurred at roughly 6:15 a.m. on a two-lane road when a white Chevy Malibu crossed the lane divide into oncoming traffic and struck the rear wheels of the school bus, ripping off one of its tires.
The bus then itself lurched into oncoming traffic, where it collided head-on with the Jeep.
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“It was a horrible crash,” Judd said during a news conference. “It was a terrible, tragic morning. We had a beautiful tenth grade girl lose her life.”
Polk County Sheriff Brady Judd holds a press conference after a fatal crash involving a school bus on October 5, 2026. (WTVT)
The bus was carrying 37 students at the time of the crash, as well as the bus driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter, police said.
Judd said between five and seven people were transferred to local hospitals with “trauma alerts,” and just one was in critical condition. Judd said the injured were brought to hospitals via a combination of helicopters, ambulances and private vehicles.
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Authorities say the driver of the Chevy Malibu is cooperating with investigators. The individual, who told police they were on their way to work, has not been arrested.