WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — After a deadly crash involving a school bus in Polk County on Monday, students are describing the harrowing moments after the bus flipped.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office said the bus was carrying 37 Winter Haven High School students. More than 30 students were transported to local hospitals following the crash. The crash killed 16-year-old Adinaluz Prieto Oyola, who was riding the school bus, and 26-year-old Deshawn Smith, the driver of a Jeep, who was headed to work.
Jayden Rodriguez said he was sitting four rows from the front of the bus. He escaped out a window once the bus flipped, he said.
"I blink for, like, two seconds and next thing I know, I'm not in my seat anymore. I'm sitting on the roof of the bus," he recalled.
Rodriguez said he was taken to a local hospital for his injuries and released.
"I got four stitches in my foot. I had a gash in my head and I have a cut on my lower back," said Rodriguez.
Lakeland – Polk County
How hospitals coordinated response after deadly Winter Haven school bus crash
Wander Cabrera, a senior at Winter Haven High School, injured his hand and also needed stitches.
"I was just in despair, pretty much. I was hoping that everyone was alive," he said. "I was asking the doctors at the hospital, is everyone OK? Did everyone make it out OK? They're like, we don't know, we don't know yet. I was really scared."
Cabrera was taken to Lakeland Regional Health and needed stitches to his index finger and thumb.
"I didn't have anything major. I did have to get a few stitches, because I was losing a lot of blood, and I couldn't really feel my thumb," said Cabrera.
The sheriff's office said three students remain hospitalized following the crash on Monday.
Sheriff Grady Judd said a driver in a Chevrolet Malibu crossed the center line for unknown reasons. Her vehicle clipped the rear wheel of the school bus and caused a chain-reaction crash.
Polk County
Investigators still don't know why driver veered into bus in deadly crash
Sheriff Judd said the driver of the Malibu is not facing any criminal charges at this time.
She has been fully cooperating with investigators.
An NTSB spokesperson said investigators are expected to be in the area to begin documenting the crash site and examine the vehicles involved.
In an email, an NTSB spokesperson said, "As part of the investigation, the NTSB will explore safety issues including occupant protection, restraint use, the evacuation of school bus occupants, and policies regarding seat belt use on school buses."
MORE COVERAGE:
- How area hospitals coordinated response after deadly Winter Haven school bus crash
- Investigators still don't know why driver veered into bus in deadly Winter Haven crash
- 'My heart breaks': Woman describes helping injured students after deadly school bus crash in Polk County
- I-Team investigates Florida rules for seatbelts on school buses after Winter Haven crash
- Parents, students grapple with loss after deadly Winter Haven bus crash
- Crisis Center of Tampa Bay shares advice for parents after deadly crash involving school bus
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'My heart breaks': Woman describes helping injured students after deadly school bus crash in Polk County
A woman on her way to work Monday morning found herself helping injured Winter Haven High School students after a school bus crash that killed two people.
