WINTER HAVEN, FL — A crash involving a Citrus Connection bus sent a sedan off the road and into a Winter Haven daycare Monday morning, leaving five children and the sedan driver with minor injuries, according to police.

The Winter Haven Police Department said the collision happened when the bus struck the car, which then left the roadway and hit Private Christian School Child Care. All six people taken to the hospital were reported to have non-life-threatening injuries.

Police said the children inside the daycare were hurt in the impact, and the driver of the sedan was also transported for treatment. The crash is still under investigation.

How the collision sent the car into Private Christian School Child Care

Police said the chain of events started when the bus and sedan collided. After that impact, the car veered out of traffic and struck the daycare property.

The building hit was Private Christian School Child Care, and the crash drew an immediate response from Winter Haven police. Officials have not said what caused the vehicles to collide or whether speed, driver error, or another factor played a role.

Because the crash remains under review, police have not released further details about the bus route, the people involved, or whether anyone else was hurt at the scene.

Five children were hospitalized with minor injuries after the impact

Winter Haven police said five children were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after the sedan hit the daycare. The driver of the sedan was also hospitalized, and police described that person’s injuries as non-life-threatening.

No serious injuries were reported in the initial update. That distinction matters in a crash involving a daycare, where responders would be looking quickly at both the building and the people inside.

Police did not say whether the daycare children were inside a classroom, near windows, or in another area when the sedan struck the building. The department also has not said how extensive the damage was to the facility.

Neighbor heard the crash and rushed to call 911

George Aguilar, who works next door at Gold Star Pawn and Gun, said he heard what sounded like a car crash and then saw the aftermath unfold. He described watching the bus come to a stop before the blue sedan rolled and hit the school.

Aguilar said he immediately called 911. As a father, he said he felt urgency to help once he realized children may have been involved.

He also said he could hear crying and screaming from the back of the scene. After checking for visible blood, he said he later asked whether the children were okay and was told they were, which he described as a relief.

Aguilar says drivers speed through the area often

Aguilar said crashes are not unusual in that area and claimed many drivers speed there. His comments add a local perspective to a corridor that he believes sees risky driving more often than it should.

Police have not confirmed whether speed was a factor in Monday’s crash. The department said only that the case is still being investigated.

Even so, the witness account points to broader concerns about traffic around the daycare and nearby businesses. For people working in the area, the crash was a sudden reminder of how quickly a routine traffic collision can turn into a building strike.

Winter Haven police continue to investigate what caused the crash

The Winter Haven Police Department is still working to determine exactly what led to the collision between the bus and the sedan. Investigators have not identified any charges or announced any citations.

At this stage, the confirmed facts are limited to the vehicles involved, the daycare that was hit, and the injuries reported by police. The department has not provided a timeline for when more information might be released.

For now, the crash stands as a serious traffic incident with a relatively fortunate outcome given the setting. Police said the injuries were minor, but the scene still left five children, a driver, and nearby workers shaken by the impact.