Hernando students hospitalized, pickup driver killed after school bus crash

WEEKI WACHEE — A pickup driver was killed and children were taken to local hospitals after the truck rear-ended a school bus on its way to school Wednesday morning, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The crash happened at 8:40 a.m. at the intersection of U.S. 19 and Bourassa Boulevard, troopers said. The bus, with 48 students on board, was heading north on U.S. 19 and about to turn right onto Bourassa Boulevard on its way to Winding Waters K-8. 69-year-old Michael James Scott, of Crystal River, was driving behind the bus in a 2014 Ford F-150.

When the bus stopped to let a pedestrian cross the road, the pickup continued and slammed into the back of the bus, troopers said. The crash pushed both vehicles into the intersection.

Scott died at the scene, troopers said. Ten students had minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals. The bus’s driver was uninjured, and nobody faces charges in the incident.

The road was closed for several hours and reopened early Wednesday afternoon.