Serious Bus Accident in Ocala on Southwest 49th Avenue on October 16, 2026

An off-duty Gainesville police officer suffered serious injuries when his marked Ford Explorer struck the rear of a stopped school bus in southwest Ocala, Florida, around 6:55 a.m. Friday, October 16, 2026, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The bus was southbound on Southwest 49th Avenue Road at Southwest 82nd Place Road, with flashing lights activated and its stop arm extended while preparing to pick up students. Troopers said the officer, traveling behind it, failed to observe the stopped bus.

WFTV and News4JAX reported that 13 students were aboard with a 37-year-old driver and a 54-year-old aide. A 9-year-old student, the driver and the aide were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Reporting identified AdventHealth Ocala as their destination and HCA Florida Ocala Hospital as the officer’s destination.

Emergency crews extricated the officer from the patrol vehicle. WCJB reported that the officer’s injuries were very serious but not life-threatening. The bus served Hammett Bowen Jr. Elementary School, according to Marion County Public Schools.

The Gainesville Police Department said the officer had a take-home vehicle because of his residence. Troopers continued investigating; the reports reviewed did not announce charges or establish distraction, fatigue or another explanation beyond the preliminary account.

Sources: news.ssbcrack.com; wftv.com; news4jax.com; wctv.tv. Reviewed and updated October 28, 2026.