8 killed, dozens injured in crash of bus carrying farmworkers
At least eight people were killed and eight more were critically injured when a bus carrying dozens of workers on their way to a farm crashed and overturned in Florida on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The bus was traveling west on State Route 40 on its way to a watermelon farm and was carrying 53 laborers when a Ford Ranger was heading in the opposite direction on the same road. A witness told troopers the Ford moved into the westbound lane.
The two vehicles collided “in a sideswiped manner,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The bus then ran onto the shoulder of the road, struck a fence and two trees and overturned, troopers said.
In addition to the eight people killed and eight in critical condition, another 10 had serious injuries and at least 25 occupants of the bus had minor injuries. About 40 people were transported to hospitals, the highway patrol said. The driver of the pickup was hospitalized in serious condition.
Highway patrol said the number of fatalities could rise because of the conditions of the injured bus occupants.
Sheriff Billy Woods said the people on the bus are hard-working individuals and the crash was a tragedy.
“My heart goes out to them,” Woods said. He said his agency is assisting investigators, especially with Spanish language translation. Officials are trying to notify the victims’ families.
At least some of the workers were Mexican nationals, Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Secretary Alicia Bárcena said on social media.
The laborers on the bus worked for a private company and were on their way to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, Florida, about 20 miles outside of Ocala, when the crash occurred about 6:35 a.m. The owner of the company was also on the bus and transported to a hospital. The bus was a 2010 International Bus, highway patrol said.
The incident caused the temporary shutdown of part of a highway in Marion County, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.
Transportation accidents No. 1 cause of death for farmworkers
The deadly crash Tuesday is the latest to claim the lives of farmworkers in the U.S. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, transportation accidents were the leading cause of death for farmworkers in 2021. Such accidents include roadway crashes and incidents such as tractor overturns.
Eight people were killed on Feb. 23 in California when a van carrying farmworkers and a pickup collided, The Associated Press reported. Only two people in the van were wearing seatbelts, officials said.
In July 2016, another crash in Florida involving a bus carrying migrant farmworkers killed four people. Federal investigators said gaps in safety regulations were at play in the crash. It was caused by caused by a bus driver who didn’t stop at an intersection, and who likely was fatigued after picking crops, officials said.