MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — A 2-year-old boy suffered serious injuries, and six other juveniles were hurt when an SUV collided with a school bus on Oct. 11 in Manatee County, authorities said.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) report, three school buses carrying a total of 90 juveniles from Fort Pierce Central High School, were stopped in a row on the eastbound outside lane of State Road 70 at about 8:18 p.m.
A Ford Exhibition, driven by a 32-year-old woman from Tampa, was traveling in the eastbound outside lane of SR 70, when she hit the rear of one the of the buses.
That started a chain reaction of the buses being pushed forward and crashing into each other, the report stated.
The Explorer then became engulfed in flames.
Six juveniles on the buses were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. The report did not state where the buses were heading, as FHP referred the destination to St. Lucie School District. District officials have not yet responded.
The driver of the Explorer suffered minor injuries, but a 2-year-old boy in the vehicle suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to an area hospital.
The crash remains under investigation,
It's been one year since Hurricane Milton impacted our community. Tampa Bay 28 revisited some of Tampa Bay's hardest hit areas to show the recovery and the work that still needs to be done.
