Walton County, FL (January 15, 2026) – Authorities in Walton County responded to two separate school bus crashes on Wednesday, both occurring along Highway 331 and involving multiple vehicles and students.
The first crash took place early in the morning, around 6:15 a.m., near Lake Holley Circle. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a pickup truck rear-ended a school bus that had four children on board at the time. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. The driver of the pickup was cited for careless driving, and no further action is expected in that case.
The second crash occurred later in the afternoon at approximately 4:15 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 331 and Jolly Bay Road. In that incident, a school bus was stopped to unload passengers when a second vehicle came to a stop behind it. A third vehicle, however, failed to stop in time and struck the second car, causing a chain reaction collision.
Two individuals in the second vehicle and a child passenger in the third vehicle were transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. At the time of the crash, 14 children were on the school bus, none of whom were reported injured.
FHP continues to investigate the second crash but stated that no criminal charges are expected at this time.
We extend our thoughts to all those involved, particularly the injured child and vehicle occupants, and wish them a swift and full recovery.
