Local
Marion County school bus collision sends Gainesville officer and three others to hospital
A marked Gainesville police SUV struck a stopped school bus during a Friday morning pickup in Marion County. The officer was seriously injured; the bus driver, an aide and a 9-year-old student suffered minor injuries, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
An off-duty Gainesville police officer was seriously injured Friday morning when his marked Ford Explorer struck the back of a stopped school bus in Marion County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The bus driver, a 54-year-old aide and a 9-year-old student were also taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The crash happened at about 6:55 a.m. at SW 49 Avenue Road and SW 82 Place Road. The Marion County school bus was facing south in the outside lane to pick up children. Its flashing lights were on and its stop signs were extended, FHP said.
The officer was driving south in the same lane behind the bus and did not see it before his vehicle hit the bus’s rear, according to FHP. He was taken to a hospital with very serious injuries.
There were 13 students aboard the bus. The three bus occupants taken to the hospital were reported to have minor injuries. The agency did not provide further details about the injured people or the crash investigation.