WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA Accident Today — A school bus crash in Winter Haven, Florida, killed two people Monday morning, October 5, 2026, including a 10th-grade Winter Haven High School student and an occupant of a silver Jeep.
The crash happened shortly after 6 a.m. on Lucerne Park Road, west of Jacaranda Avenue and near the Brookhaven Village community. The school bus was carrying students to Winter Haven High School when it became involved in a multi-vehicle collision that left the bus overturned.
According to preliminary information released by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the school bus was traveling eastbound on Lucerne Park Road when a westbound white Chevrolet Malibu crossed the center line. The reason the Malibu crossed the center line remained under investigation.
The Malibu struck the rear tandem wheels of the school bus. The impact caused the bus to lose traction and a tire before it crossed into the westbound lane, where it collided head-on with a silver Jeep. The Jeep caught fire, while the school bus overturned and came to rest in a ditch. A third passenger vehicle was also involved.
The school bus was carrying 39 people, including 37 Winter Haven High School students, the bus driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter. A 10th-grade girl aboard the bus was killed in the crash. Authorities had not publicly released her name in the information provided.
The occupant of the silver Jeep also died as a result of the collision. Several other people were transported to hospitals following the crash, with emergency crews using ambulances, medical helicopters and private vehicles to transport those injured. One patient remained in critical condition, while other injured people were receiving treatment or had been treated and released.
The crash forced the closure of Lucerne Park Road in both directions from Old Lucerne Park Road to the Walmart Distribution Center. The scene was approximately 1½ miles west of U.S. 27, and drivers were advised to avoid the area and use alternate routes while emergency crews and investigators worked.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remained under investigation. The deaths have brought grief to the Winter Haven High School community as students, families and school officials deal with the aftermath. Authorities had not released additional information about the victims in the details provided.