In the immediate aftermath of a devastating crash that sent a Polk County school bus tumbling into a ditch, several students and an injured driver chose courage over self-preservation , stepping up to protect and rescue their classmates, officials revealed Tuesday.
The announcement came roughly 24 hours after Monday morning’s multi-vehicle collision on Lucerne Park Road claimed two lives: 16-year-old Winter Haven High School sophomore Adinaluz Prieto Oyola and 26-year-old Jeep driver Deshawn Smith of Haines City.
As officials walked through the mechanics of the crash, attention shifted powerfully toward the extraordinary bravery displayed inside the bus during the chaotic moments following the rollover.
Superintendent Fred Hyde described video footage and witness accounts showing at least four students rushing directly to Adinaluz’s side after realizing she was unresponsive. Despite smoke filling the air, chaos erupting around them, and the very real risk of further injury, those students made repeated attempts to evacuate her from the overturned vehicle.
Hyde highlighted one male student in particular who refused to leave her behind. The student was captured on video saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t leave you.” He remained by Adinaluz’s side until a Good Samaritan adult climbed onto the bus and urged him to get out.
“These students put others before their own safety,” Hyde said. “And for that, we are truly grateful. And that’s what makes our community strong , the people who are willing to run into and fill the gap when it’s desperately needed.”
Alongside those students, 34-year-old bus driver Jessica Lynn Dye earned widespread praise for her remarkable response. The crash had left her trapped and wedged behind the wheel following the head-on impact, yet Dye fought her way free from the driver’s seat. Injured and with her own 9-year-old child on board, she immediately began directing and physically helping all 37 high school students evacuate the vehicle.
Passing motorists and Good Samaritans also pulled over, climbed inside the overturned bus, and helped pull injured teenagers out through the exits.
The crash unfolded around 6:12 a.m. Monday during bumper-to-bumper traffic. Investigators determined that a Chevrolet Malibu driven by 23-year-old Maria Mondragon Jimenez , a nursing student heading to her shift at Lakeland Regional Health , drifted across the double yellow center line. The Malibu clipped the rear tandem wheels of the school bus, tearing off a tire and sending the bus careening into oncoming lanes.
The bus struck Deshawn Smith’s westbound Jeep head-on before overturning into a ditch, where the Jeep caught fire underneath the wreckage. Smith died instantly at the scene. A trailing Kia Forte then rear-ended the disabled Malibu, which had come to rest in the roadway.
Emergency crews transported a total of 35 people to area hospitals. As of Tuesday, three students remain hospitalized with various injuries, though all are expected to make full recoveries.
Officials confirmed that neither speed nor phone distraction played a role in the disaster. Both the bus and the oncoming vehicles were traveling below the posted 55 mph speed limit. A forensic examination of Jimenez’s phone revealed no activity in the 10 minutes leading up to the collision. She voluntarily submitted to a blood draw and cooperated fully with investigators. While civil traffic citations are expected to follow, no criminal charges are currently pending.
Winter Haven High School and Lake Alfred Polytech Academy have brought in crisis counselors to support grieving students and staff as the community mourns the loss of Adinaluz , a young girl who was scheduled to attend her very first cheerleading practice on the morning the crash took her life.
Leave a Reply