MANATEE COUNTY — Six Fort Pierce Central High School students were taken to an area hospital for minor injuries on Oct. 8 following an accident involving three buses and a car at State Road 70 and Palmbrush Trail, about 10 miles east of Bradenton, in Manatee County, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.
A 32-year-old Tampa woman was driving a Ford SUV Exhibition east on State Road 70 at about 8:18 p.m., in the outside lane, according to FHP reports.
Three school buses from Fort Pierce Central High School in St. Lucie County were stopped in the lane ahead of the SUV in single file, according to FHP. The buses were carrying 90 students and six adults from the St. Lucie County high school, the agency said.
The SUV hit the back of the third bus in the line, and it set off a chain reaction as the third bus hit the second bus and the second bus then hit the first bus, according to FHP reports.
The SUV was engulfed in flames after the crash, troopers said.
A 2-year-old boy in a child restraint inside the SUV suffered serious injuries, and emergency responders airlifted him to an area hospital, according to FHP. Emergency responders took the Tampa woman, who was wearing a seatbelt, to a hospital with minor injuries.
The students and adults were reportedly on their way home from a band competition. All students were reportedly released from the hospital by Oct. 13.
The crash remains under investigation, according to FHP.