DUNNELLON, Fla. — The driver of a pickup truck involved in a deadly crash with a bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida has been arrested on DUI charges.
The crash killed eight people and critically injured eight more, authorities said. Many others were hurt.
The driver of the truck, identified as Bryan Howard, was arrested just before 2 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. He faces eight counts of DUI manslaughter.
The crash happened around 6:35 a.m. Tuesday on State Road 40 just east of U.S. Highway 41, according to Marion County Fire Rescue. It's located just north of the Citrus and Marion county line.
What led up to the deadly Florida bus crash
The converted school bus was transporting 46 farmworkers to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, which had been harvesting watermelons at the time of the crash, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
FHP Lieutenant Patrick Riordan said it appears Howard's Ford Ranger pickup truck "traveled toward the center line" and the two vehicles sideswiped. The crash caused the bus to swerve off of State Road 40, crash through a fence and hit a tree before rolling over, Riordan added.
A total of 38 people were taken to the hospital, the sheriff's office said. Of those patients, eight were listed in critical condition; the other 30 people had non-life-threatening injuries. Howard was also injured and taken to the hospital.
"There's a high probability this may be beyond eight fatalities," Riordan said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
Video from Sky 10 showed a white bus overturned on its side with its windows smashed and its emergency rear door and top hatch open. The pickup truck came to a stop at the side of the road, with its airbag blown and extensive damage to its driver's side.
Who was on the bus?
Federal statistics show that vehicle crashes were the leading cause of job-related deaths among farmworkers in 2022, the latest year available, according to the Associated Press. They accounted for 81 of 171 fatalities.
Authorities in several states have been pushing for greater regulations for the safety of farmworkers, who are overwhelmingly migrants, the AP said. It is unknown if all the workers on the bus were migrants.
“Everything I’ve been told at this point, they all have what they need to be here. There’s no reason for me to be involved with these individuals," Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said when asked about the legal status of the passengers. "They’re hardworking individuals and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them being here."
A Department of Labor document shows Olvera recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms this month at a base rate of $14.77 an hour, with promises of housing, three meals a day and transportation to and from the fields, the AP reports.
The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or agents who meet certain regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Florida farms employ more H-2A workers than any other state, about 50,000 a year, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.
Deadly Florida farmworker bus crash
The Marion County Sheriff's Office had earlier stressed that the bus involved is not a school bus. The county school district confirmed to 10 Tampa Bay a school bus was used to help take people to the hospital for treatment.
"We will be closed today out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.," Cannon Farms wrote on its Facebook page. "Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident. We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time."
Andres Sequra, a director of mission and ministry for AdventHealth hospitals, told reporters that the injured workers who could be visited by chaplains “were in good spirits for what they have been through.”
“We were able to provide support, presence, prayer when it was asked of us,” he said.
State Road 40 has been closed for hours because of the crash. Drivers are urged to find an alternate route, especially when traveling to or from Citrus and Marion counties. FHP said the road will remain closed until the investigation is done at the scene. Some alternate options include:
- Eastbound on State Road 40: Take U.S. Highway 41 north to west County Road 328, then head east on west County Road 328 back to State Road 40
- Westbound on State Road 40: Take west County Road 328 west to U.S. Highway 41, then go south on U.S. Highway 41 back to State Road 40
The FHP is investigating what led up to the crash. Riordan said there is a "massive response" from the agency.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Editor's note: Previous reports from law enforcement said 53 people were on board the bus. Marion County Sheriff's Office has since clarified that 46 people were on board.