A devastating vehicular accident in Marion County, Florida, resulted in the death of eight agricultural workers and left approximately 40 others in the hospital. The mishap took place on Tuesday morning when a bus transporting the laborers had a collision with a pickup truck on State Road 40.
Florida Highway Patrol Lieutenant Patrick Riordan shared the specifics of the accident during a press briefing. He stated that a decommissioned school bus was heading west on State Road 40 when a Ford pickup truck inexplicably crossed into the center line, resulting in a side-impact crash. The force of the collision caused the bus to swerve off the road, smash through a fence, strike a tree, and capsize.
As of now, eight deaths have been confirmed, but there is a chance that the fatality count could increase as some of the injured are in critical condition. The pickup truck’s driver was also taken to the hospital with severe injuries.
The agricultural workers were reportedly on their way to Cannon Farms at the time of the accident. In a show of respect for the losses and injuries sustained by the workers of Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp, the farm announced on Facebook that it would be temporarily closed.
The driver of the pickup truck has been identified as Bryan Maclean Howard. He has been taken into custody and faces eight charges of Driving Under the Influence – Manslaughter.
The Florida Highway Patrol extended their sympathies to the families of the deceased and assured that a comprehensive investigation would be carried out to examine both the traffic accident and the criminal elements of the incident.
The community has been deeply affected by the tragic accident, with many mourning the victims and their families. The exact cause of the accident is still being investigated.