tour bus crash in mexico

15 dead, 47 injured in Mexico bus crash

MEXICO CITY — Fifteen people are dead and 47 are being treated for their injuries after a bus carrying holiday season tourists flipped on a highway in Mexico’s Pacific coast state of Nayarit, authorities said Saturday.

Officials in the nearby state of Guanajuato said all the passengers were from the same city, Leon, in that state. It is not unusual for friends, relatives or neighbors in Mexico to pool their money to rent a bus for beach vacations.

Prosecutors in Nayarit said the accident occurred Friday, on a rural stretch of road. They said the dead included at least four children.

Local media said the travelers were returning from Guayabitos, a beach town north of Puerto Vallarta.

The causes of the crash were under investigation. Forty five of the injured were being treated at local hospitals, and there was no immediate information on the condition of the wounded.

In the past, such crashes have often been caused by poor maintenance of rental buses, bad weather or highway conditions, or speeding.

15 dead, 47 injured in western Mexico tourist bus crash

Fifteen people are dead and 47 are being treated for their injuries after a bus carrying holiday season tourists flipped on a highway in Mexico's Pacific coast state of Nayarit, authorities said Saturday.

Officials in the nearby state of Guanajuato said all the passengers were from the same city, Leon, in that state. It is not unusual for friends, relatives or neighbors in Mexico to pool their money to rent a bus for beach vacations.

Prosecutors in Nayarit said the accident occurred Friday, on a rural stretch of road. They said the dead included at least four children.

Local media said the travellers were returning from Guayabitos, a beach town north of Puerto Vallarta.

The causes of the crash were under investigation. Forty five of the injured were being treated at local hospitals, and there was no immediate information on the condition of the wounded.

In the past, such crashes have often been caused by poor maintenance of rental buses, bad weather or highway conditions, or speeding.

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Mexico tour bus crash leaves 12 dead, including 8 Americans, officials say

American tourists among the dead in Mexico bus crash

Authorities investigating why the bus carrying Royal Caribbean cruise passengers flipped over; Phil Keating reports from Miami.

Eight Americans were among the 12 people killed when a bus carrying Royal Caribbean cruise ship passengers looking forward to a day at the Mayan ruins on Tuesday flipped over in southeastern Mexico, officials said Wednesday.

Two Swedes, one Canadian, and a tour guide from Mexico also died in Tuesday's bus crash, Mexican officials confirmed. The bus driver was injured and taken into custody, said the Quintana Roo state government. The U.S. State Department initially said "multiple U.S. citizens" died. Those included a Florida grandmother, according to the  Sun Sentinel .

"We express our heartfelt condolences to all those affected by this tragedy. We are in contact with local authorities, and will continue to monitor the situation. We have staff on the scene and at local hospitals to assist victims and loved ones," the State Department said in a statement.

Passengers on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship were among the people killed and injured in bus crash in Mexico.

The bus carrying 31 people — 27 of them passengers of Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas — were heading to Chacchoben, about 110 miles south of Tulum, from the port at Mahahual just after 9 a.m. when it crashed on a narrow, two-lane road with no shoulder or guardrail. The convoy of buses left the port and were on the road for nearly an hour.

A preliminary investigation into the crash found the accident was caused by the bus driver's negligence and possible speeding, Mexican state prosecutor Miguel Angel Pech Cen said Tuesday.

Benjamin Shababo, 18, told the Sun Sentinel that his grandmother, Fanya Shamis, was killed. His added that his cousin may also have died.

“We don’t have really concrete information,” Shababo said. “We’re all scared. It’s just really scary to process this in my head that possibly something really bad happened to them.”

Four Americans, four Brazilians and three Canadians were among the 18 injured. Two other Swedes were wounded and transported to the United States for treatment. Seven others who were slightly injured had returned to their cruise ship on Tuesday after the crash.

“The news from Costa Maya about a bus accident involving #CelebrityEquinox & #SerenadeoftheSeas guests is heartbreaking. Our hearts go out to all those involved. We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation,” the cruise line said in a tweet.

Chris Brawley, a passenger on the Serenade of Seas, was on a bus headed to the same Mayan ruins when they came on the scene minutes after the crash.

"The bus clearly lost control somehow as there were swerve marks all over the road surface,” Brawley said, adding that the driving conditions were dry and it was clear skies that morning.

The bus carrying cruise ship passengers to the Mayan ruins at Chacchoben in eastern Mexico flipped over on a highway early Tuesday. (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Brawley, of Haslet, Texas, said his ship departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday for a seven-day cruise. They were in Roatan, Honduras, on Monday and were scheduled to be in Cozumel on Wednesday.

Video from the scene showed the bus on its side in the vegetation. Some passengers were lying on the pavement while others were walking around. One body lay on the roadside covered by a white sheet or other object, as the crash scene was cordoned off with yellow police tape.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said it was aware of reports of Americans injured in the crash. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the crash. U.S. Consulate in Merida was ready to provide assistance.

Costa Maya Mahahual, the bus company involved, said in a statement that in addition to the tourists, a guide and driver were aboard the bus.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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At least 15 feared dead in bus crash in Mexico

Passenger bus crashes off the highway into a ravine in western Mexican state of Nayarit.

At least 15 people are feared to have been killed and 21 others were injured in a bus crash in the coastal Mexican state of Nayarit, state authorities said.

The crash happened in the early hours of Thursday near Barranca Blanca on the highway outside state capital Tepic, officials said.

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The Elite passenger bus had departed from Mexico City and was heading towards Tijuana, local media reported.

“At the scene there were 21 injured people of various ages who were attended to, as well as 15 people who are presumed to be without signs of life,” Nayarit Civil Protection and Firefighters said in a post on social media on Thursday. “Work is being done to remove them from the site.”

Images shared online by Nayarit officials showed ambulances lining the highway.

The incident is one of the latest cases of deadly crashes that have killed dozens of people, underscoring the hazards of steep and windy roads where fatalities are frequent.

Last month, 27 people were killed after a bus crashed off of a road and into a ravine in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca .

In April, 18 people died when a bus drove off a cliff in western Mexico. In December 2021, a truck carrying about 166 people crashed in the state of Chiapas, killing 54 people and injuring dozens of others.

Those killed in the December 2021 incident were largely migrants packed tightly into the truck, underscoring the  perilous conditions often faced when trying to clandestinely travel through Latin American countries such as Mexico.

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At least 19 dead and 18 injured after bus collides with truck in northern Mexico

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — A collision between a passenger bus and a freight truck on a highway in northern Mexico Tuesday left at least 19 people dead and 18 injured, local authorities said.

The accident occurred on a highway in the Pacific coast state of Sinaloa. Roy Navarrete, the director of the state civil defense office, said the crash occurred in the township of Elota, near the port city of Mazatlan.

The injured were being treated at local hospitals and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

There were 37 people aboard the bus. Photos of the scene showed both vehicles had been reduced to burnt-out metal frames.

Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

At least 12 killed, including 5 Americans, in Mexico tour bus crash

The fatalities' other nationalities include Canadians, Swedes and a Mexican.

— -- At least 12 people were killed, including five Americans, after the bus they were riding in Tuesday was involved in a crash in Mexico, an official familiar with the investigation told ABC News.

The passengers involved in the crash had been traveling on two Royal Caribbean cruise ships, a spokesman for the cruise line told ABC News.

Four of the other fatalities were Canadian, two were Swedes, and one was Mexican, the official.

One of the fatalities was a minor, according to the Quintana Roo government. The minor's nationality is not yet known.

The tour bus crashed in the southeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday shortly before 10 a.m. local time, according to a spokesperson for the attorney general's office in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

The passengers aboard the bus were American, Italian, Swedish and Brazilian, according to a statement from the Costa Maya port, which is near the crash site. The bus belonged to the port and crashed at kilometer 5 of the Mahahual-Cafetal highway, the statement said. Emergency services and medics arrived on the scene immediately after the crash, the state government said in a statement.

Multiple people were injured and transferred to four hospitals, and five of those passengers have been discharged, according to the statement. Representatives from the port, the government and insurance companies have been dispatched to each hospital to ensure that "all actors involved are being helped, supported and informed," the statement said.

The bus was seen overturned on its side, and multiple passengers were seen lying and standing on the side of the road in video filmed at the scene of the crash.

Vítor Maciel Fontes Jacques, 32, from Brazil, was traveling with his wife and five family members when the bus crashed. He suffered a broken clavicle in the accident while his sister-in-law suffered a head injury that required surgery, he said.

"The bus somehow went down the side of the road," Fontes Jacques said. "Then the driver pushed it over and it started flipping over. And then the bus flipped on its side."

The tour bus in the crash was carrying guests from Royal Caribbean's Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas, said cruise spokesman Owen Torres.

"The news from Costa Maya about a bus accident involving our guests is heartbreaking," he said. "Our hearts go out to all those involved. We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation."

The cruise line is in contact with local authorities, Torres said.

Royal Caribbean tweeted that it had 27 guests aboard the bus, which was headed toward the Chacchoben Maya ruins, about 110 miles south of Tulum. According to the Quintana Roo government, 31 people were on board the bus. A tour guide and driver were among those on board, the port said in a statement.

Carrie Vanrenterghem, who traveled with her two daughters to the same excursion on a bus directly in front of the one that crashed, said she saw the bus being towed away on their way back from the Mayan ruins.

"We didn't understand or know what it was," the Oregon resident told ABC News during a FaceTime call after she arrived back on the cruise ship.

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Vanrenterghem said that one of the sides of the bus was "smashed" after it fell on its side and that the "whole windshield was gone."

"You could tell that somebody had probably gone ... through the windshield," she said, describing the scene as a "hard" sight to see.

"The seat belts were tied below the seats, so no one told us to put the seat belts on," Fontes Jacques said. "But my wife’s sister saw them and she asked us to put it on. Her sister did take it off later. I put it on, but I took it off later. And we were the two of us hurt a little. So that’s the lesson of the day, to always wear a seat belt."

Vanrenterghem said that had she and her daughters booked their excursion through the cruise line instead of an outside travel agency, they could have "easily" been on the bus that crashed, along with their fellow cruise passengers.

"Most likely, we would have been on that bus," Vanrenterghem said, adding that the close call made her "realize that life is short and family is important."

The Celebrity Equinox is on a seven-night cruise that departed from Miami on Saturday and had scheduled stops in Key West, Florida; Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico; and George Town and Grand Cayman in the Bahamas, according to Royal Caribbean. The Serenade of the Seas departed from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday, with stops in Key West; Roatan, Honduras; Costa Maya; and Cozumel.

During a briefing Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert said officials were following the news of the bus crash "very closely" and described it as "certainly a tragedy."

Mission staff from the U.S. were en route to Mexico Tuesday to assess the situation, she said.

ABC News' Conor Finnegan, Ben Gittleson and Scott Withers contributed to this report.

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Mexico: 8 Americans killed in tour bus crash

Updated on: December 20, 2017 / 11:30 AM EST / CBS/AP

CANCUN, Mexico -- Eight Americans, two Swedes and one Canadian were among the fatalities of a bus crash in eastern Mexico, state officials said Wednesday.

The Quintana Roo state government said in a statement that the injured also include three Canadians, four Brazilians and four Americans. Two other Swedes were wounded and transported to the United States for treatment.

Officials had said Tuesday that seven others who were slightly injured had returned to their cruise ship after the accident.

A Mexican tour guide also died in the crash, and the bus driver was injured and taken into custody, the statement said.

Earlier, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert had confirmed that "multiple" Americans were killed in the crash and offered condolences to the victims.

We can confirm the deaths of multiple U.S. citizens in #Mexico bus accident, and several injuries. We express our heartfelt condolences to those affected by this tragedy. We are in contact w/ local authorities, have staff on scene to assist and will continue to monitor situation. — Heather Nauert (@statedeptspox) December 20, 2017

CBS News' Manuel Bojorquez reports that the victims included a 78-year-old grandmother from Miami .

Several Americans were also among the injured, said Vicente Martin, spokesman for the Quintana Roo state Civil Defense agency. 

The bus ended up on its side in vegetation along the two-lane road. Video taken after the crash showed some survivors lying on the pavement and others walking around. One body lay on the roadside covered by a white sheet or other object, as the crash scene was cordoned off with yellow police tape.

Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises said in a statement that passengers from two of its ships, the Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas, were on the bus. The company expressed its sympathies and said it was assisting with medical care and transportation.

The U.S. Embassy in Mexico City said the U.S. Consulate in Merida was ready to provide assistance.

Martin said investigators were working to determine the cause of the crash, which occurred as the bus was on its way to the ruins at Chacchoben, about 110 miles south of Tulum.

The Quintana Roo state prosecutor's office reported that the fatalities were 11 tourists, including one child, and a Mexican tour guide.

"When we went by it, it was pretty horrible. The bus, the front windshield was entirely out. Like, some people had fallen through it," said witness Carrie Vanrenterghem.

She was traveling with her daughters back from the ruins when she came across the crash site.

"They were just traveling like we were, for you know, the holidays," Vanrenterghem said. "It's just hard to imagine their lives are gone."

It said in a statement Tuesday night that seven injured tourists had returned to their boat while 13 remained hospitalized, six of them in Tulum and seven in the city of Chetumal, near the Belize border.

The dead were being transferred to the forensics service for identification and subsequent notification of consular authorities.

Chris Brawley, a passenger on the Serenade of Seas, was on a bus headed to the same Mayan ruins when they came on the scene minutes after the accident.

It was shortly after 9 a.m. and a convoy of buses from the cruise port at Mahahual was headed to Chacchoben, he said. They had been on the road for about 35 to 40 minutes before the accident.

Brawly said the sky was clear and the road was dry and he didn't see any sign of another vehicle being involved in the crash, which happened on a narrow, two-lane road with no shoulder or guardrail.

He said he did not see the crash, but "the bus clearly lost control somehow as there were swerve marks all over the road surface."

Brawley, of Haslet, Texas, said his ship departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Friday for a seven-day cruise. They were in Roatan, Honduras, on Monday and were scheduled to be in Cozumel on Wednesday.

Michael Schuenemeyer, a minister from Cleveland, was on another bus that passed the crash about an hour later.

Tow trucks were lifting up the bus when they passed by, he said. "It was in pretty sad shape," Schuenemeyer said.

Costa Maya Mahahual, the bus company involved, said in a statement that in addition to the tourists, a guide and driver were aboard the bus.

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Subscriber only, families of mexican farmworker bus crash victims mourn the loss of their loved ones.

An improvised altar with photos of Evarado Ventura Hernández stands at his relatives’ house in Agua Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Ventura Hernandez was one of eight farmworkers, all from Mexico, killed in a bus that overturned Tuesday morning in Florida. (AP Photo/Maria Alferez)

Relatives and neighbors of Evarado Ventura Hernandez pray in front of an improvised altar with his photos in Agua Del Sol, Oaxaca, Mexico, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Ventura Hernandez was one of eight farmworkers, all from Mexico, killed in a bus that overturned Tuesday morning in Florida. (AP Photo/Maria Alferez)

Relatives of Manuel Perez Rios hold photos of him as they pose for a photo of their own in Barrio San Pedro, Oaxaca, Mexico, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. Perez Rios was one of eight farmworkers, all from Mexico, killed in a bus that overturned Tuesday morning in Florida. (AP Photo/Maria Alferez)

Mourners pray during a memorial vigil at The Farmworkers Association Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Apopka, Fla. Eight farmworkers from Mexico were killed and dozens more were injured when a pickup truck and bus collided early Tuesday morning in Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Juan Sabines, consul of Mexico in Orlando, speaks to mourners during a vigil at The Farmworkers Association Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Apopka, Fla. Eight farmworkers from Mexico were killed and dozens more were injured when a pickup truck and bus collided early Tuesday morning in Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Sister Ann holds a crucifix and candle during a memorial vigil at The Farmworkers Association Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Apopka, Fla. Eight farmworkers from Mexico were killed and dozens more were injured when a pickup truck and bus collided early Tuesday morning in Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Mourners hold crosses with some of the victim’s names of a bus crash during a memorial vigil at The Farmworkers Association Wednesday, May 15, 2024, in Apopka, Fla. Eight farmworkers were killed and dozens were injured when a pickup truck and bus collided early Tuesday morning in Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

Authorities work at the scene of a deadly crash after a bus carrying farmworkers collided with a pickup truck on State Road 40 Tuesday, May 14, 2024, near Dunnellon, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Youngblood)

This photo provided by Marion County Jail shows Bryan Howard. The Florida Highway Patrol arrested Howard, the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the farmworker bus on Tuesday, May 14, 2024. (Marion County Jail via AP)

WEST PALM BEACH  — In San Miguel Almolonga, a rural farming community in Mexico, a mourning family recited prayers while grieving the loss of a father who came to Florida under a temporary visa to support his family.

Yamilet Pérez Ríos, the 14-year-old daughter of Manuel Pérez Ríos, wept as she said she is now left without her father, who died in a bus crash early Tuesday north of Orlando in Marion County.

“He went to seek a better life for me, for my mother, a week ago, and now they say my dad is dead,” she said.

Manuel Pérez Ríos, 46, was one of eight farmworkers killed in a bus crash Tuesday on the way to a watermelon patch at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. He was a father of four children and had four grandchildren.

Early Tuesday, Bryan Howard , 41, crossed the center line of State Road 40 in his 2001 Ford Ranger and sideswiped a bus carrying 53 farmworkers, which then veered the bus of the two-lane road. The bus hit a tree and rolled over. Howard failed several sobriety tests and was arrested, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The Tuesday morning bus crash is still under investigation by police . On Wednesday morning, Howard pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence-manslaughter charges in the deaths of eight farmworkers.

Marion County court records show Howard has had at least three crashes and numerous traffic tickets dating back to 2006, including one citation for crossing the center line. His license has been suspended at least three times, the latest in 2021 for getting too many citations within a year. In 2013, he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.

The crash injured dozens of farmworkers, who were hired by a Mexican-American farmer to work on the watermelon farm under temporary or seasonal visas. About 16 farmworkers were taken to AdventHealth Ocala. Lauren Rozyla, a spokesperson for the facility, said 14 were discharged on Tuesday, and the remaining two were transferred to other facilities.

Dash and body camera video from a Marion County deputy showed dazed farmworkers standing in the field and several injured lying near the bus, as firefighters and paramedics went inside the large overturned vehicle.

Manuel Pérez Ríos was among six dead who have been identified, with two farmworkers remaining unidentified: Evarado Ventura Hernández, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sánchez, 20; Isaías Miranda Pascal, 21; and José Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27.

About 44 Mexican citizens were on the bus earlier this week, said Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday. Simón Pérez Cabrera, the father of Manuel Pérez Ríos, said that his family was poor and lived off farm work, which is why his son went to the United States to work.

Magdalena Rios, wife of Manuel Pérez Ríos, said this was her husband’s first trip to do farm work under a temporary visa in the United States.

“He had lots of hopes. He wanted to work,” Magdalena Rios said.

Gamaliel Marcel, of Tallahassee, said Wednesday that he was childhood friends with Salazar Villeda in Mexico. Marcel said Salazar Villeda was married in March and had a 5-year-old daughter.

“I feel so bad, especially because I knew him my whole life,” he said. “He was always the most respectful, but brought out a smile when you needed it.”

Evarado Ventura Hernández’s mother, Rosalina Hernández Martínez, said Wednesday that her son had told her the work he did on Florida farms was “very hard,” but that he was happy.

“It hurts,” she said. “A piece of my heart is gone.”

José María Álvarez reported from San Miguel Almolonga, Mexico, in southern Oaxaca state.

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Mexican consulate says victims of massive bus crash in ocala seek legal, mental health support.

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The Mexican Consulate said the victims of Tuesday's massive bus crash in Ocala are seeking legal and mental health support.

During a news conference on Tuesday, Juan Sabines, the Mexican consul in Orlando, said he visited the crash survivors.

Sabines said most of them were injured and hurt by the incident.

Eight migrant workers were killed in the crash, and dozens more were injured after a man in a pickup truck side-swiped the bus, sending it off the road and into a tree.

Related: Man accused of deadly Marion County bus crash has been convicted 20 times since 2003

The man accused, identified as Bryan Maclean Howard, was arrested on DUI manslaughter charges Tuesday afternoon.

Related: 'Massive traffic homicide investigation': 8 dead, dozens hospitalized in Ocala bus crash

Sabines said the driver of the bus carrying the farmers to work was a 40-year-old originally from Mexico.

He said all the migrants have an H-2A visa and are hard workers. Sabin highlighted that they have no criminal history.

The youngest victim killed in the accident was an 18-year-old, and the oldest was 31 years old, according to Sabines.

Related: Truck driver involved in Ocala bus crash that killed 8 arrested on DUI manslaughter charges

Sabines said the Mexican Consulate is prioritizing the surviving victims and the families of those who were killed in the incident.

As of today, Sabina said three victims remain in critical condition.

He also said they do not have much information about the employer of the farm the workers were headed to.

Sabines said they will continue to speak with the families of the victims killed in the crash and the farm workers who are now recovering.

Sabina said the next step is trying to get the families of the victims to the U.S. so they can identify the bodies of their loved ones who were killed in the bus crash.

Mexican citizens were traveling to work at a Florida farm when a pickup hit their bus, killing 8

O CALA, Fla. (AP) — Mexican citizens were among those going to work at a Florida watermelon farm on Tuesday when the bus they were traveling in was sideswiped and crashed, killing eight people, officials said.

Alicia Bárcena, Mexico’s foreign relations secretary, on Tuesday said via the social media platform X that she was sorry to report that a tragic automotive accident had happened in Florida with Mexican agricultural workers involved. She didn’t say how many of the more than four dozen people on board were from Mexico.

The Mexican consulate in Orlando was working to find out more and provide support, according to a post on X. The Florida Highway Patrol said names of the people who died would be released after relatives were notified.

The Florida Highway Patrol arrested the driver of a pickup truck that crashed into the farmworker bus. Troopers said Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, faces eight counts of driving-under-the-influence-manslaughter for Tuesday morning’s crash. No further details were released, including what substance allegedly left Howard impaired.

It wasn't immediately known if Howard has an attorney to comment on his behalf. Attempts to reach Howard were unsuccessful Tuesday. State records show he has previous arrests for alleged driving with a suspended license, leaving the scene of an accident and marijuana possession.

Troopers say Howard was driving a 2001 Ford Ranger that crossed into the center line on State Road 40, a two-lane road that passes through horse farms. The truck sideswiped the bus, causing it to veer off the road at about 6:40 a.m. It plowed through a fence and into a tree and then rolled. In addition to the eight killed, at least 40 were injured.

The accident happened about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Orlando as the workers were going to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. The bus ended up on its side, with its windows smashed and its emergency rear door and top hatch open. The truck came to a stop at the side of the road, with its air bag blown and extensive damage to the driver's side.

Andres Sequera, a director of mission and ministry for AdventHealth hospitals, told reporters that the injured workers who could be visited by chaplains “were in good spirits for what they have been through.”

“We were able to provide support, presence, prayer when it was asked of us,” he said.

No one answered the phone at Olvera Trucking on Tuesday afternoon. The company recently advertised for a temporary driver who would bus workers to watermelon fields and then operate harvesting equipment. The pay was $14.77 an hour.

A Labor Department document shows Olvera recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms this month. The company again offered a base rate of $14.77 an hour, with promises of housing and transportation to and from the fields.

The H-2A program allows U.S. employers or agents who meet certain regulatory requirements to bring foreign nationals into the country to fill temporary agricultural jobs. Florida farms employ more H-2A workers than any other state, about 50,000 a year, according to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association.

“Thank you to all who have reached out and offered condolences, help and prayers” for the families and loved ones involved in the crash, Cannon Farms posted on its Facebook page, adding that the family-owned operation would stay closed through Wednesday.

Cannon Farms grows peanuts and watermelons, which it sends to grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada.

Federal statistics show that vehicle crashes were the leading cause of job-related deaths among farmworkers in 2022, the latest year available. They accounted for 81 of 171 fatalities. It was not immediately not known if the bus had seat belts.

Authorities in several states have been pushing for greater regulations for the safety of farmworkers, who are overwhelmingly migrants.

The Labor Department announced new seat belt requirements for employer vehicles used for farmworkers on temporary visas, among other worker protections that take effect June 28. The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association has been opposed, calling the seat belt requirement “impractical.”

State law requires seat belts for farmworker transport using smaller vehicles, weighing less than 10,000 pounds.

A GoFundMe campaign organized by the Farmworker Association of Florida to support accident victims and their families had raised about $20,000 of a $50,000 goal by Tuesday night.

“Farmworkers tend to be forgotten, but it’s important not to forget farmworkers, especially during such difficult times,” the post said.

Two groups that advocate for farmworkers issued statements calling for stricter laws to protect them from harm.

“It is too easy to dismiss this as just another accident,” said Asia Clermont, Florida director for the League of United Latin American Citizens. “Florida must take every possible step to protect its essential workers, who are human beings and the backbone of the state’s economy.”

Ty Joplin of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers said transportation laws for farmworkers are often unenforced.

“While accidents will happen, protecting workers while transporting them with mandatory and enforceable safety provisions, like seat belts and safety inspections, can reduce injuries and deaths,” he said.

Spencer reported from Fort Lauderdale.

90-year-old school bus driver retires after 50 years of service

HENRY COUNTY, Va. ( WDBJ /Gray News) – Most people retire in their 60s, but 90-year-old Robert Dillard kept his wheels turning for decades after that.

He’s finally hanging up his keys after driving a school bus for more than 50 years.

“I guess it’s in my blood,” said Dillard, Henry County bus driver. “I’ve just been so used to doing it. I just kept on doing it. I enjoy it. I know I’m going to miss it for a while.”

Dillard started driving for Henry County Schools in 1974. Today, he’s still taking kids to and from Axton Elementary School every day – even waking up early to heat the bus for the little ones.

“I get up every morning about 6 to keep the bus warm for the children. For smaller children, with a good warm bus, they can sleep,” Dillard said.

He said his love for children and a lack of substitute drivers is what kept him behind the wheel for so long.

“I enjoy being around children. My wife said, ‘I don’t see how you stand it,’ but I had a large family, and I was used to children. I reckon that’s why I stayed so long with them,” Dillard said.

But now at 90 years old, he’s ready to retire.

“I’ve got to give it up sometime or another. I said 90 years. That’s enough to be fooling with a school bus, but God blessed me real good,” Dillard said.

Although Wednesday will be his last day on the school bus, he will still be driving to and from the school to visit from time to time.

“I will feel kind of sad, but I’ll get over it. I told them I’d be around and see them every now and again. It’s been in my blood for a long time,” Dillard said.

He said he’s looking forward to having more time to spend with his wife.

Copyright 2024 WDBJ via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

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2024 pga championship second round delayed due to fatal accident near valhalla golf club friday morning, share this article.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The second round of the 106th PGA Championship has been delayed at least one hour and 20 minutes due to a pedestrian fatality near Valhalla Golf Club.

According to a police report, a man, who has been identified by police as John Mills, was crossing Shelbyville Road Friday morning near the golf course when he was struck by a shuttle bus traveling eastbound in the center lane dedicated for buses. Mills, who was reporting to work, was pronounced dead on the scene. Officers received a call to the 15500 block of Shelbyville Road around 5 a.m. regarding a vehicle collision between a bus and a person.

The PGA announced that the second round will begin at 8:35 am. ET. The first grouping was expected to tee off at 7:15 a.m. ET.

Also Friday morning, Scottie Scheffler was arrested and charaged by police after trying to enter the gates of the club ahead of his tee time.

PGA CHAMPIONSHIP : Friday photos | Leaderboard | How to watch

The PGA of America released the following statement: “This morning we were devastated to learn that a worker with one of our vendors was tragically struck and killed by a shuttle bus outside Valhalla Golf Club. This is heartbreaking to all of us involved with the PGA Championship. We extend our sincere condolences to their family and loved ones.”

It later sent an update: “Our primary concern today remains with the family of John Mills, who lost his life in a tragic accident early this morning while reporting to work. As it relates to the incident involving Scottie Scheffler, we are fully cooperating as local authorities review what took place. While the legal process plays out, questions should to be directed to Scheffler’s attorney or local authorities.”

UPDATE Round 2 of the 2024 PGA Championship is delayed due to an accident near the course. The next update will be at 7 a.m. ET. #PGAChamp — PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 17, 2024

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