A Polk County school bus carrying 37 Winter Haven High School students was struck by a car on Lucerne Park Road early Monday, sparking a chain-reaction crash that killed a 10th-grade student and the driver of a Jeep. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a westbound Chevrolet Malibu crossed the center line around 6:15 a.m. for reasons still under investigation and hit the bus near its rear wheels. The impact sent the bus across the roadway, where it collided head-on with a silver Jeep that caught fire.
Thirty-nine people were on the bus, including the driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter. One person remained in critical condition Monday, and several others were hospitalized, though some students have since been released. Sheriff Grady Judd said the driver of the Malibu is cooperating with investigators and faces no charges at this time.
The crash happened on Lucerne Park Road near Winter Haven, a stretch known locally as State Road 544 that many Suncoast families use to connect with U.S. 27. As the Winter Haven High community grieves, the investigation continues into what caused the Malibu to drift across the center line. What questions do you have about safety on your own morning commute?
