Traffic

School bus packed with 50 students crashes on Dolphin Expressway. 2 kids hospitalized

A school bus carrying 50 students crashed on the Dolphin Expressway in Miami-Dade County on Feb. 16, 2023.
A school bus carrying 50 students crashed on the Dolphin Expressway in Miami-Dade County on Feb. 16, 2023. Florida Department of Transportation

Two children are hospitalized Thursday afternoon after their school bus packed with 48 other students slammed into an SUV that had collided with another moments earlier on the Dolphin Expressway in Miami-Dade, according to authorities.

Around 1:30 p.m., several Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units hurried to the highway’s westbound lanes, before Northwest 107th Avenue, in response to a crash. There they found the school bus with dozens of kids inside.

Two pediatric patients were taken to the hospital with minor, non-life-threatening injuries, Andrea Rudchenco, a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue spokeswoman, told the Miami Herald.

“All other patients were assessed and treated on scene,” she said.

According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a silver Lexus SUV and black Nissan SUV had collided in the area, causing the former to become disabled and block a lane. Then the oncoming yellow school bus, unable to stop, crashed into the Lexus.

The driver of the Lexus was also transported to the hospital with minor injuries, Lt. Alex Camacho told the Herald.

Three of the highway’s westbound lanes were immediately shut down after the crash, causing major traffic delays. As of 4 p.m., the westbound right shoulder remained blocked.

This story was originally published February 16, 2023 at 3:59 PM.

Omar Rodríguez Ortiz
Miami Herald
Omar is a bilingual and bicultural journalist, covering breaking news in South Florida for the Miami Herald. He has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a bachelor’s degree in education from the Universidad de Puerto Rico en Río Piedras.
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