8 killed, dozens injured when bus carrying farmworkers crashes, overturns in Florida

Austin L. Miller and Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated ·4 min read
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At least eight people were killed when a bus carrying dozens of laborers crashed and overturned in Marion County, Florida, officials said. The workers were on their way to a watermelon farm, officials on the scene said.

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 on the scene that 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 in a statement. The agency warned the number of fatalities could increase because of the conditions of the critically injured bus occupants.

The driver of the pickup, Bryan Maclean Howard, was arrested at a hospital where he had been taken for treatment on eight counts of DUI manslaughter, the state highway patrol said Tuesday afternoon.

Marion County records show Howard, 40, was cited for several traffic-related offenses from 2004 to 2019, including failure to wear a seatbelt, driving on a suspended or expired driver's license, failure to stop at a red light, careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident with property damage. He has also been convicted of possessing drug paraphernalia and grand theft.

At least eight people were killed when a bus carrying dozens of laborers crashed and overturned in Marion County, Florida, officials said. The workers were on their way to a watermelon farm, officials on the scene said.
At least eight people were killed when a bus carrying dozens of laborers crashed and overturned in Marion County, Florida, officials said. The workers were on their way to a watermelon farm, officials on the scene said.

'My heart goes out to them'

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.

Florida crash: Driver charged with DUI-manslaughter in crash that killed eight farmworkers

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.

The Farmworker Association of Florida has set up a GoFundMe account to help the victims and their families.

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 was likely fatigued after picking crops, officials said.

Investigation into 2016 accident: Florida crash reveals issues in transport of farmworkers; fatigue a factor

Group urges increased protections for farmworkers

In response to Tuesday's crash, the League of United Latin American Citizens called on Florida to increase safety protections for farmworkers.

"They are the ones who put the food on our tables and nourish the state and our country. It is too easy to dismiss this as just another accident. Florida must take every possible step to protect its essential workers, who are human beings and the backbone of the state's economy," LULAC President Domingo Garcia said in a statement.

Julie Taylor, executive director of the National Farm Worker Ministry, said when farmworker work-related accidents happen, her organization becomes concerned with the impact to workers and their families. Many farmworkers may not have health insurance, she said. And when they can't work because of their injuries, their families can often be left without income.

Contributing: The Ocala StarBanner

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bus crash in Florida kills 8 farmworkers, injures dozens more