Winter Haven school bus crash kills student and Jeep driver

A school bus crash in Winter Haven, Florida, killed a 10th-grade student aboard the bus and the driver of a Jeep, Polk County authorities said Monday. The bus overturned after a collision involving a westbound Chevrolet Malibu and other vehicles. Several people were injured, and one person was in critical condition at the time of a news conference, officials said. The bus was carrying 39 people: 37 students headed to Winter Haven High School, the driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter. Authorities did not release the names of the two people who died. The student was in 10th grade, and the other victim was in the Jeep. Sheriff Grady Judd said a preliminary review of video showed the Malibu cross the lane divide and hit the bus near its rear wheels. The impact tore off a bus tire, according to the sheriff’s account. The bus then entered the opposing lane, struck the Jeep head-on and overturned. Authorities have not said what caused the Malibu to cross the divide, and the crash sequence remains under investigation. Judd said five to seven people were transported to hospitals with trauma alerts.