At least eight people were killed and another eight were seriously injured when a bus carrying dozens of farm workers crashed and overturned in Florida on Tuesday morning, authorities said.
The bus was carrying 53 workers heading west on State Route 40 toward a watermelon farm when a Ford Ranger was traveling the wrong way on the same road. Witnesses told officers at the scene that the Ford entered the westbound lane.
The two vehicles collided “in a sideways skid,” according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Police said the bus then ran onto the shoulder of the road, hit a fence and two trees and overturned.
Eight people were killed, eight others were seriously injured, 10 others were seriously injured, and at least 25 bus passengers sustained minor injuries. The Highway Patrol said in a statement that about 40 people were taken to hospitals. The agency warned that the death toll could rise due to the situation of bus passengers who were seriously injured.
The State Highway Patrol announced Tuesday afternoon that the driver of the pickup truck, Brian McLean Howard, was arrested at a hospital for treatment on eight counts of DUI manslaughter.
According to Marion County records, Howard, 40, was arrested from 2004 to 2019 for failing to wear a seatbelt, driving with a suspended or expired driver’s license, failing to stop at a red light, careless driving, and driving in front of a vehicle. He was charged with several traffic-related offenses, including deviating from the vehicle. The scene of a property damage accident. He was also convicted of possession of drug paraphernalia and grand larceny.
“My heart goes out to them.”
Sheriff Billy Woods said the people on the bus were hardworking and the accident was a tragedy.
”“My heart goes out to them,” Woods said, noting that his agency is assisting the investigation with, among other things, a Spanish interpreter, and that authorities are trying to notify the victims’ families.
Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena said at least some of the workers were Mexican. Social media.
Florida accident:Driver charged with drunk driving manslaughter in accident that killed 8 farm workers
The workers on the bus work for a private company and were on their way to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, Florida, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) outside Ocala, when the accident occurred around 6:35 a.m. The company’s manager was also on the bus and was taken to the hospital. According to the Highway Patrol, the bus was a 2010 International Bus.
The sheriff’s office announced in a social media post that the incident resulted in the temporary closure of a portion of the highway in Marion County.
The Florida Farm Workers Association has set up a GoFundMe account to support the victims and their families.
Transportation accidents are the number one cause of death for agricultural workers
Tuesday’s fatal crash is the latest crash to claim the life of a farm worker in the U.S. Traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for farm workers in 2021, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These accidents also include road collisions, such as tractor rollovers.
According to the Associated Press, eight people were killed on February 23 when a pickup truck and a van carrying farm workers collided in California. Officials said only two people were in the van and were wearing seatbelts.
2016 accident investigation:Florida accident reveals problems with transporting farm workers.Causes of fatigue
In July 2016, a bus carrying migrant farm workers was involved in an accident in Florida, resulting in the deaths of four people. Federal investigators said flaws in safety regulations contributed to the accident. Authorities said the bus driver failed to stop at the intersection and was likely tired after harvesting crops.
Groups call for stronger protections for farm workers
Following Tuesday’s accident, the League of Latin American Citizens called on the state of Florida to strengthen safety protections for farm workers.
“These are the people who put food on our tables and feed our state and our country. It’s too easy to dismiss this as just an accident. We must do everything possible to protect humanity and the backbone of the state’s economy,” LULAC President Domingo Garcia said in a statement.
Julie Taylor, executive director of the National Farm Workforce Department, said that when work-related accidents occur among farmworkers, her organization is concerned about the impact on workers and their families. Many farmworkers may not have health insurance, she says. And families often have no income when they are unable to work due to injury.
Contributed by Ocala Star Banner
