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Ocala
Thursday, March 28, 2024

Ocala woman’s charter bus loaded with children hit by SUV

An Ocala bus driver and her 48 passengers – mostly children – escaped serious injuries Thursday morning when a charter bus was hit by a Nissan SUV in Alachua County.

Barbara Mittendorf, 63, had her bus sitting at a stop sign at the intersection of County Road 234 and U.S. Hwy. 441 when the accident occurred. The left rear side of the stopped bus was struck by a 2016 Nissan Rogue driven by 18-year-old Amanda Escalante, of Miami, as she attempted to make a right turn onto CR 234, a Florida Highway Patrol report states. Escalante was cited in the incident, which occurred shortly before 8:30 a.m.

One person on the charter bus suffered minor injuries but no one was transported to the hospital, the FHP report says.