WINTER HAVEN, FL — Court documents reveal that an insurance company is asking a Polk County judge to determine how $11,000 in available property damage coverage should be distributed following a deadly school bus crash that killed two people and sent dozens to hospitals last month.
On October 27, United Automobile Insurance Company filed a lawsuit asking the court to determine how the available insurance funds should be distributed. The lawsuit names the Polk County School Board, the school bus driver, several motorists, and dozens of passengers as defendants.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred on October 5, 2026, at approximately 6 a.m., when a westbound Chevrolet Malibu crossed the center line and struck the rear wheels of an eastbound school bus. The impact pushed the bus into the path of an oncoming Jeep before it overturned into a ditch.
The crash killed a 10th-grade Winter Haven High School student and the driver of a Jeep Compass
The sheriff stated during a subsequent press conference that the reason the Malibu crossed the center line remained undetermined.
According to court documents, the Malibu’s insurance policy provides $11,000 in property damage liability coverage per accident. The insurance company argues that distributing the limited funds without court intervention could expose it to additional lawsuits or liability.
The company is requesting permission to deposit the $11,000 into the court registry and have the court determine which parties are entitled to the funds. Nothing further at this time.
SOURCE: Circuit Court of the 10th Judicial Circuit in and for Polk County, Florida
