The details: How the Florida school bus crash turned into a tragedy

Two people were killed and dozens of students were taken to hospitals Monday morning after a school bus carrying students to Winter Haven High School was involved in a violent multi-vehicle crash in Polk County.

The crash happened shortly after 6 a.m. on Lucerne Park Road in Winter Haven. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, a westbound Chevrolet Malibu crossed the center line and struck the school bus, which was traveling in the opposite direction.

The impact caused the bus to lose control and pushed it into the opposite lane, where it collided head-on with a Jeep. The Jeep caught fire, while the school bus overturned and came to rest upside down near the roadway. Investigators have not yet determined why the Malibu crossed into the bus’s lane.

Authorities confirmed that a 10th-grade girl from Winter Haven High School was killed in the crash. The driver of the Jeep also died.

There were 39 people aboard the school bus at the time — 37 high school students, the bus driver and the driver’s 9-year-old daughter.

Authorities said 26 students were transported to hospitals following the crash. Three students were airlifted, while others were transported by ambulance, another school bus accompanied by a paramedic, or by family members. The bus driver and her daughter were also taken to a hospital.

Most of the injured patients were treated and released later Monday, according to authorities. Winter Haven Hospital said it received 22 patients and that all but one pediatric patient had been released; that child was transferred to another hospital.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described the collision as one of the worst school bus tragedies the county has experienced in decades.

Polk County Public Schools said the buses in its fleet are equipped with lap belts and noted that students practice emergency evacuation procedures. School officials said the loss has devastated the Winter Haven High School community.

The National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into the crash alongside local authorities. Investigators are continuing to determine what caused the Malibu to cross the center line.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is expected to provide another update Tuesday as the investigation continues.