Bus With Nine Students Crashes into Private Pool in Orange County

Investigators working with the Florida Highway Patrol are trying to quickly discover the reasons behind an incident that took place on Friday, October 12th, that involved a school bus accident with students, a Jeep, and a private swimming pool located in the backyard of a Pine Hills home. Reports from the Florida Highway Patrol that have emerged so far indicate that the exact reasons behind the incident are not clear and it appears that the participants in the accident possess slightly different stories as to what happened.

A bus carrying nine children and a driver was headed towards Magnolia School in Pine Hills along a route that took it close to Willowwood Street and Rushwood Court. It was traveling through a residential area at the same time as a Jeep was also headed down the same road, although headed in the opposite direction.

This is where the stories diverge.

According to the bus driver, the driver of the Jeep noticed a dead cat lying in the road and attempted to swerve out of the way to avoid striking it. Due to this, the Jeep then entered the lane being used by the bus, which prompted the bus driver to try and swerve out of the way.

According to the driver of the Jeep, the bus was the one that changed lanes as it moved to avoid striking a parked pickup truck.

Regardless of which story proves factual (and it is believed that a camera placed on the school bus will settle the dispute), the results remain clear. The school bus driver tried to swerve away from something and jerked the wheel in such a way that caused the bus to depart from the roadway. The bus then drove through a lawn and a fence bordering a home’s backyard. Beyond the fence was a pool, and the bus crashed head first into the body of water.

None of the people aboard the bus were injured, but it is believed that the driver of the Jeep suffered from non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the collision.

The accident remains under investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Sources:

• School bus carrying students plunges into Orange County swimming pool

James O. Cunningham

Since 1977, personal injury lawyer James Cunningham has provided effective legal advocacy to people who are injured through the negligent actions of another person or entity throughout the Central Florida area. He fights to obtain recoveries for his clients’ physical and emotional pain and suffering and pursues his clients’ personal injury cases with a commitment to excellence and impeccable preparation.