The Havendale Boulevard crash injured a sedan driver and sent five children for medical evaluation while leaving investigators to determine what caused it.
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Police are investigating how a collision between a Citrus Connection bus and a sedan sent the car off Havendale Boulevard and into an occupied daycare Monday, leading six people to be taken to hospitals.
The crash happened at about 11:13 a.m. Nov. 2 near 1588 Havendale Blvd., according to Winter Haven police. Authorities said the bus and sedan collided on the roadway before the sedan traveled off the street and through the front of the child care facility. Five children inside were taken to a hospital for evaluation, and the sedan driver was transported with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said all occupants of the daycare were accounted for after the impact. The children were being checked for possible minor injuries. No one on the Citrus Connection bus was injured, according to a report citing Winter Haven Police Department public information officer Jamie Brown.
Investigators had not publicly explained Tuesday what caused the bus and sedan to collide. Police had not announced whether speed, distraction, right of way or another factor contributed to the crash, and no citations or charges had been reported. Authorities also had not released the identity of the sedan driver.
A witness at a neighboring business described seeing the aftermath unfold. George Aguilar, who works next to the daycare, told FOX 13 that he heard what sounded like a crash, saw the bus stop and then watched the blue sedan move into the building. He called 911 and went toward the daycare.
Aguilar also told the station that crashes occur in the area and expressed concern about drivers traveling too fast along the roadway. His comments reflected his personal observations and were not an official finding about what caused Monday’s collision. Police have not said that speeding caused the crash.
The distinction is important as investigators reconstruct the sequence of events. Officials have confirmed that the sedan left the roadway after the collision with the bus, but they have not released a detailed crash analysis showing how the vehicles made contact or why the sedan continued toward the daycare.
The collision also created an unusual emergency scene because the secondary impact involved a building occupied by children. Responders had to account for everyone inside while arranging medical evaluations for the five children and treatment for the driver.
As of Tuesday, the Winter Haven Police Department continued to investigate the crash. Authorities had not released additional findings explaining the initial collision or announced further enforcement action connected to it.
Author note: Last updated November 3, 2026.