6 of the 8 Farmworkers Killed in Florida Bus Crash ID'd; Youngest Victim Was 18 Years Old
Bryan Maclean Howard was arrested on eight counts of manslaughter in connection with the crash, authorities say
Authorities have revealed the identities of six of the eight farmworkers who were killed in a crash on May 14 when the bus they were on collided with a pickup truck in Florida.
All of the fatal victims were harvest workers from Mexico, authorities have said. The crash left at least 40 people injured, The Associated Press reports.
Ernesto Ruiz, a researcher at the Farmworker Association of Florida, identified the names of six of the victims to PEOPLE: Evarado Ventura Hernandez, 30; Cristian Salazar Villeda, 24; Alfredo Tovar Sanchez, 20; Isaias Miranda Pascal, 21; Jose Heriberto Fraga Acosta, 27, and Manuel Perez Rios, 46.
Juan Sabines, the Mexican Consul in Orlando, said on Tuesday that the youngest victim was 18-years-old, WESH reported. That victim has not been publicly named.
State troopers arrested Bryan Maclean Howard, the alleged driver of the pickup truck, in connection with the crash, the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said in a statement. He's charged with eight counts of manslaughter.
It's not immediately clear if he has entered pleas or retained an attorney.
At 6:35 a.m. on May 14, a school bus carrying the farm workers was headed west and the pickup, which was headed east, "for unknown reasons, traveled towards the center line, and the vehicles had a collision of a side swipe-type manner," Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan previously alleged at a press conference.
After the collision, "the school bus traveled off the roadway onto the grass shoulder, where it went through a fence, struck a tree, and overturned," Riordan said.
Those who survived are "really distressed," Ruiz tells PEOPLE, who added, "They're struggling."
Related: 8 Dead and 40 Hospitalized After Bus Carrying Fla. Farmworkers Hit by Truck
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The victims are part of a cohort of migrant workers who travel to the U.S. for several months and move across different states, Ruiz tells PEOPLE.
He says while the workers were residing in Florida at the time of the accident, they were scheduled to leave Florida for another farm later in the week.
The workers were en route to Cannon Farms in Dunnellon, Fla., when the accident occurred, WESH reported at the time.
Cannon Farms announced on Facebook the business was closed through the following day in honor of the victims.
The workers are usually in the U.S. for about 10 months and their visa status doesn’t include provisions to bring their family members, Ruiz says.
A GoFundMe set up by the Farmworker Association of Florida raised nearly $80,000 for the workers and their families.
"Farmworkers tend to be forgotten, but it's important not to forget farmworkers, especially during such difficult times," the fundraiser said.
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