8 dead, 45 hurt when farmworkers' bus, pickup truck collide in Florida
May 14 (UPI) -- A bus carrying farmworkers and a Ford Ranger truck sideswiped each other on State Route 40 in Ocala, Fla. on Tuesday morning, killing eight and injuring 45 more, Florida Highway Patrol.
The agency said eight of the injured were in critical condition and were taken to local hospitals. The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon when it collided with the pickup truck.
The vehicles were traveling east on State Route 40 when the pickup truck tried to veer in the center lane, colliding with the bus. The bus careened off the road, through a fence and struck a tree, troopers said.
"There is [a] high probability this may be beyond eight fatalities, FHP Lt. Patrick Riordan told WESH-TV.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said officials were still trying to locate the families of the victims. He said his agency was assisting in providing Spanish-language translators.
"My heart goes out to them," Woods told the Ocala Star, describing the victims as "hard working individuals" and that the accident was a tragedy.
Troopers said the details of the accident remain under investigation.
"At this point, we are conducting a massive traffic homicide investigation," Riordan said. "This will be a very lengthy and thorough investigation. I can tell you that it's going to be probably six months, at least, before we can conclude factually what transpired here today."
