What you should know about a Florida bus crash that killed eight Mexican farmworkers

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A bus carrying farm workers to a watermelon field in Central Florida was struck sideways by a drunken driver and overturned in a field, killing eight people and injuring dozens more, according to authorities.

The man accused of causing Tuesday’s crash has a long-standing driving record and is being held in jail without bail.

The farm workers came from Mexico and worked on seasonal or temporary visas. Authorities have not yet released their names.

Here’s what you should know about the crash.

WHAT HAPPENED?

Around 6:40 a.m. Tuesday, a 2001 Ford Ranger driven by 41-year-old Bryan Howard crossed the center line of State Road 40 and struck a bus that was taking 53 farm workers to a watermelon farm at Cannon Farms in Dunnellon. The bus veered off the two-lane road that runs through horse farms, hit a tree and overturned.

The crash occurred about 80 miles (130 kilometers) north of Orlando.

WHO ARE THE VICTIMS?

All eight people killed came to the U.S. from Mexico on H-2A agricultural worker visas, officials said.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Wednesday morning that there were 44 Mexican citizens on the bus who had been hired by a Mexican-American farmer to work on the watermelon farm on temporary or seasonal visas. The Mexican government later said six of the injured were in serious condition and three others were in critical condition.

Lucas Benitez, co-founder of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, said Wednesday that she learned from the Mexican consulate that the farm workers killed came from at least five different states in Mexico.

As of Wednesday afternoon, authorities had not released their names and were waiting to notify their relatives. Meanwhile, the Mexican consulate in Orlando worked to provide support at AdventHealth Ocala Hospital, where many of the injured were taken.

Andres Sequera, mission and pastoral care director for AdventHealth Hospitals, said chaplains were visiting the injured workers and they were “in good spirits given what they’ve been through.”

WHY WERE THE WORKERS IN FLORIDA?

According to the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, farms across Florida employ about 50,000 H-2A workers each year, more than any other state.

Workers travel to Florida on seasonal or temporary visas to harvest fruits and vegetables on the farm.

These workers were located in Marion County, which is in the north-central part of Florida. The county is best known for its hilly landscape, which contrasts with much of the state’s typical flat geography. Thoroughbred horse farms are common in the hills outside Ocala, the region’s largest city. Interstate 75 also runs through Marion County.

What do we know about the driver who was blamed in the accident?

Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, was arrested hours after the crash Tuesday and remained jailed without bail Wednesday in Ocala.

In a brief court appearance Wednesday morning, Howard pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence and manslaughter in the killings of eight farm workers.

Court documents detailing what substance Howard allegedly ingested remained sealed Wednesday afternoon.

But he told a judge in a conference call from prison on Wednesday that he was a self-employed painter and drywall installer with $700 in the bank, no other assets and no dependents.

Howard’s head was bandaged and he was wearing protective gowns typically given to inmates on suicide watch. The judge denied bond, appointed a public defender and set his next court date for next month. The public defender’s office declined to comment on the case.

Marion County court records show Howard has had at least three accidents and numerous traffic tickets since 2006. He has already been cited for crossing the center line and has had his license revoked at least three times, most recently in 2021 for crossing many citations within a year.

In 2013 he was convicted of grand theft. A year later, his probation was revoked after he tested positive for cocaine.

Howard’s next court date is scheduled for June.

WHAT’S NEXT?

A memorial service for the victims is planned for 6 p.m. EDT in Apopka, Florida, north of Orlando.