OCALA — A bus carrying farmworkers that the Florida Highway Patrol reported left from the Immokalee area earlier, overturned on Tuesday in central Florida, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers at about 6:40 a.m. when it collided with a truck in Marion County, north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Reports initially said that the Florida Highway Patrol reported the bus had left from the Immokalee area earlier in the day.
CNN reported that the 2010 International Bus carrying “approximately 53 farm workers” and a 2001 Ford Ranger sideswiped each other around 6:35 a.m., according to the FHP. Florida Highway Patrol said.
Eight people died at the scene and 45 injured were taken to medical facilities, including eight in critical condition, James Lucas with Marion County Fire Rescue said.
According to the Marion County Fire Rescue Facebook Page the bus went off the road and rolled over. "A total of 46 patients were involved, with eight of them being declared deceased by MCFR Paramedics on scene,." their Facebook post said. "38 total patients were transported to local area hospitals: 8 in critical condition and 30 with non-life threatening injuries."
The rescue service said the National Transportation Safety Board is monitoring the situation.
Authorities say the bus swerved off State Road 40, a straight but somewhat hilly two-lane road that passes through farms. It crashed through a fence and ended up on its side in a field. The workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunellon, which has been harvesting watermelons.
Photos taken by the Ocala Star-Banner at the scene show the bus lying on its side with both its emergency rear door and top hatch open. The truck that hit it shows extensive damage to its driver’s side.
There is no immediate indication that weather was a factor.
“We will be closed today out of respect to the losses and injuries endured early this morning in the accident that took place to the Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp.,” Cannon Farms announced on its Facebook page. “Please pray with us for the families and the loved ones involved in this tragic accident. We appreciate your understanding at this difficult time.”
Cannon Farms describes itself as a family owned commercial farming operation that has farmed its land for more than 100 years, focusing now on peanuts and watermelons, which it sends to grocery stores across the U.S. and Canada.
No one answered the phone at Olvera Trucking on Tuesday afternoon.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the workers who were on the bus are migrants, but a Department of Labor 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 U.S. 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.
The Associated Press, CNN and Marion County Fire Rescue contributed to this report. WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.