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2 killed, including a high school student, in Florida school bus crash, sheriff says

The Winter Haven High School bus had 37 students on board at the time of the crash.
WINTER HAVEN CRASH PHOTO.jpeg
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A 10th-grade student and another person were killed after a multi-vehicle crash involving a school bus happened Monday morning in Central Florida.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said during a morning news conference that the crash happened around 6 a.m., when a Chevrolet Malibu veered over the center line of a road and hit a Winter Haven High School bus traveling in the opposite direction. There were 37 students on board.

The impact of the collision ripped the tire off the bus and caused it to crash head-on into an oncoming Jeep before rolling over off the side of Winter Haven Road. The sheriff said the driver of the Jeep had died.

Florida School Bus Crash
In this photo provided by the Polk County Sheriff's Office, emergency personnel respond to an accident involving a school bus in Winter Haven, Fla., on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.

At least five other people involved in the crash were hospitalized, according to authorities.

"It was a horrible crash," Judd said. "It was a terrible, tragic morning. We had a beautiful 10th grade girl lose her life."

The city of Winter Haven is located about 51 miles east of Tampa and 47 miles southwest of Orlando.