HIALEAH GARDENS, FLA. (WSVN) - A pedestrian was killed and several others were injured following a chain-reaction wreck involving a school bus in Hialeah Gardens, authorities said.
The crash occurred near the Palmetto Expressway in the area of Northwest 77th Avenue and 103rd Street, at around 4:15 p.m., Tuesday.
Units from several law enforcement agencies, including the Florida Highway Patrol and Hialeah Gardens Police, have responded to the scene.
According to FHP, a Dodge pickup truck was traveling south on an exit ramp connecting 103rd Street to the Palmetto when it collided with the pedestrian.
“It had hit the guy,” said Alexis Rodriguez, one of the passengers involved in the crash.
Investigators said the truck then hit a black Audi sedan, a Ford sedan, a white Honda sedan and the school bus.
“Then [the truck] hit the rest of the cars, and it was a chain reaction,” said Rodriguez. “It was pretty intense.”
In total, five vehicles were involved in the crash.
The pedestrian struck died at the scene. 7News cameras captured the man’s body covered with a tarp near the ramp.
Officials said the driver of the Audi was airlifted to Ryder Trauma Center as a trauma alert.
An adult female and a 1-year-old child were also airlifted to Jackson Memorial Hospital as a precaution.
Rodriguez, who said he was riding in the Honda with his father, showed 7News his bruised arm and elbow.
Several Hialeah Gardens Middle School students were on board the school bus, but according to Miami-Dade County Public Schools, no child was seriously injured.
One of the students, Melanie Garcia, described the moment of impact.
“A car came flying at us and it hit a bunch of cars and the bus,” she said. “Everyone was very scared, but no one got hurt, luckily, inside the bus, but outside there was a bunch of people hurt.”
Garcia said she saw some of the injured victims, including the driver of the Audi, who was “bleeding from his head inside the car.”
Just before 6 p.m., cameras captured a man in handcuffs being taken away from the scene by officers. His connection to the crash remains unclear.
As a result of the ongoing investigation, the southbound exit ramp at 103rd Street from the Palmetto Expressway, near 77th Avenue, remained closed for hours. It has since reopened to traffic.
Investigators have not specified whether anyone has been cited.
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