No Jamaican farmworkers were involved in the bus crash in Florida that killed eight workers and left dozens more injured on Tuesday, according to the island’s Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr.
In a release to the media, the minister said “We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the farm workers whose lives were lost in this unfortunate accident.”
The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers at about 6:40 a.m. when it collided with a truck in Marion County, about 80 miles north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Authorities say the bus swerved off State Road 40, a straight but somewhat hilly two-lane road that passes through farms. It crashed through a fence and ended up on its side in a field. The workers were being transported to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, which has been harvesting watermelons.
Eight people have been confirmed dead and 45 injured according to emergency officials, however, authorities believe that based on the extent of the damage, the death toll may increase.
Driver crashed with manslaughter
The Florida Highway Patrol said Tuesday that the driver of the pickup truck was under the influence when he crashed into the bus. Bryan Maclean Howard, the driver, was charged with eight counts of DUI manslaughter.
Roger Waddell, a spokesman for Marion County, said eight of those transported to local hospitals are listed in critical condition. Thirty people remain hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a county news release. MacLean Howard was also injured.
Representatives from the Farmworkers Association of Florida, an advocacy group for immigrant workers, were in contact with family members who were seeking information about the people on the bus.
Ernesto Ruiz, research coordinator for the association, told The Washington Post that the people on the bus were H2A workers from Mexico who were being housed in a hotel in Gainesville. They were being transported in a 14-year-old converted school bus to a farm 45 miles away.
“We’ve been in contact with the Mexican consulate. We’ve talked with one man whose brother was on the bus. He said he hasn’t been able to contact him,” Ruiz said.
“We live in a state that has a very anti-immigrant sentiment,” he said. “We rely on these vulnerable populations, but they are in the shadows. The only time we hear about them is when these tragedies happen.”
Read: 8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers’ bus overturns in central Florida
