The Gainesville Sun | By Cindy Swirko | August 24, 2021
Two separate crashes involving Alachua County school buses occurred Tuesday, according to local first responders.
In the first crash Tuesday morning, two people had to be extricated from a car and were hospitalized after it hit a school bus.
The crash happened about 6:58 a.m. at U.S. 301 and Southeast 162nd Avenue south of Hawthorne, Alachua County Fire Rescue reported in a news release.
Crews had to use metal cutters on the car to be able to free the two people who were trapped inside.
The 14 students and the driver were not injured and the bus had minor damage, the release states. School staff eventually got the students back with their families.
The Florida Highway Patrol is investigating the crash and details about the cause were not available Tuesday afternoon.
In the second crash, a tractor-trailer and a school bus collided, sending both drivers to the hospital, Gainesville Police Department spokesman Graham Glover said.
No students were on the bus, Glover said, adding that the injuries to the drivers were not life-threatening.
Pictures posted by Gainesville Fire Rescue on social media show heavy damage to the front and back of the bus. The front of the tractor also was damaged.
The crash occurred at Southeast 11th Street and Fourth Avenue. The semi was headed north on 11th Street and the bus was headed west on Fourth Street. Details on the collision were not available early Monday afternoon.
