Authorities charge truck driver involved in Marion County bus crash with DUI manslaughter

MARION COUNTY, Fla. – Florida Highway Patrol announced the arrest of the driver of the Ford Ranger truck involved in a fatal bus crash in Marion County Tuesday.

There have been eight fatalities and dozens of hospitalizations, the state confirmed.

The accident occurred early Tuesday morning on State Road 40 between the 2001 truck and a 2010 International Bus. It was transporting 53 farm workers, including migrants. They reportedly have documentation.

The driver, Bryan Maclean Howard, was charged with eight counts of Driving Under the Influence – Manslaughter. Under state statutes, that can be prosecuted as a second degree felony.

The incident involved a sideswipe collision between the truck and the bus. From there, the bus veered off the road into a fence and flipped over.

“Our sympathies and prayers are with the families of the deceased,” said Davin Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. “Consistent with our duties, the Florida Highway Patrol will conduct both a thorough and exhaustive traffic crash and criminal investigation.”

“What a tragedy,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson to Florida’s Voice. “These are hardworking people out trying to make a living […] There will be an investigation and we’ll get more information.”

This is an evolving situation.