At a news conference, Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) reported that the crash happened around 6:30 a.m. of the same day on State Road 40, west of SW 148 Court, along Dunnellon. Troopers further reported that the crash involved a 2010 retired International school bus transporting 53 farmworkers westbound on State Road 40.
Officials said it was still unknown why a 2001 Ford Ranger truck traveling eastbound on the same road collided with the bus in a sideswipe manner. FHP Lt. Patrick Riordan told reporters that after the crash, the bus traveled off the roadway through a nearby fence and struck a tree until it eventually overturned.
Bryan Maclean Howard, the 41-year-old driver of the private Ford Ranger truck, was arrested and charged with eight counts of driving under the influence (DUI) manslaughter, reported the FHP.
Reports have revealed that Howard has a lengthy criminal history dating back to the mid-2000s.
According to court records, the charges include: driving with a suspended license; drug possession and grand theft; leaving the scene of a crash; and trespassing. In Marion County alone, Howard has several arrests dating back to 2005.
More than 40 people injured in the crash were taken to local hospitals. Riordan said many of the injured victims are "in very serious condition" and that there is a chance that there may be more than eight fatalities.
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"We do not get in a hurry to conclude what happened until we have all the facts. And with that, I can tell you that it's going to be probably six months at least, before we conclude factually what transpired here today," added Riordan.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said that crews would investigate to see if the weather also affected the fatal crash. (Related: Driverless Cruise robotaxi DRAGGED a woman pinned under it for 20 feet.)
According to Woods, the weather could have been a factor because of the time of the crash, which, in some cases, involved drivers claiming that "the sun was in their eyes." Woods added that the investigation will also look into other factors, such as if the roads were wet and if other circumstances resulted in the accident.
The victims were being driven to a farm in the area when the crash happened.
Woods explained that Marion County is a "very big agricultural county" and that by this time of year, there are often legal migrant workers in the county riding buses like the one involved in the incident.
According to Marion County Fire Rescue, 34 patients were transported to local hospitals. Eight of them were listed in critical condition, while the other 26 had non-life-threatening injuries.
Victims of fatal collision are all migrant workers
Unlike seasonal workers who can go home at the end of a work day, migrant workers spend several months away from their families. The latter usually start their work with citrus and watermelons in Florida and then work their way north.
Jamie Fussell, the Director of Labor Relations for the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, explained that migrant workers are granted a specific visa. He added that because the visa is employer-sponsored, either a farmer or a farm labor contractor who's employing them would start the process.
Florida has the largest population of H2-A Temporary Agriculture Workers of any state in the United States.
Fussell explained that migrant workers have entered the country because there have been "fewer and fewer U.S. workers or U.S. citizens who want to work in agriculture or work out in the fields."
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