http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11032353/LAKE BUTLER, Fla. - Seven members of one extended family -- all children -- were killed Wednesday afternoon after their car was rear-ended by a tractor-trailer as they waited for a stopped Union County school bus, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The crash occurred just after 3:30 p.m. on state Road 121, four miles south of Lake Butler.
FHP Lt. Mike Burroughs said the victims' were all related and ranged in age from 20 months to 15 years. It was unclear why there was no one of legal driving age in the car.
Channel 4 learned that the school bus transporting nine students was stopped to let kids off. A resident in the area told Channel 4 that the big rig was moving a high speed when it "ran over" the Pontiac Bonneville, then struck the bus.
The seven children died less than two miles away from where they lived.
The victims' aunt said they were on their way home from school and were planning to go to Wednesday night church services.
"It's not describable. A whole chunk of our family is just gone," Tina Mann said. "We're all kind of numb, trying to figure out what happens next."
In addition to the dead, three people were seriously injured and several others hurt. Air ambulances were launched from Jacksonville and Lake City, taking patients to various trauma centers.
According to authorities at Shands-Gainsville, eight patients were transported to Shands HealthCare hospitals -- seven of them children.
Two of five people at Shands-Gainesville were in critical condition.
The driver of the tractor-trailer, Alvin Wilkerson, 31, of Jacksonville, was reported in good condition at Shands in Starke. He worked for Crete Carrier, based in Lincoln, Neb.
The bus driver, Lillie Mae Godbolt, along with two students on her bus, were being treated at Lake Butler Hospital.
"She's pretty shook up; everybody is," the driver's sister, Eunice Clemons, said.
"That was her main concern, are the kids alright?" said Godbolt's daughter, Michelle Reeves.
Both Union County Sheriff Jerry Whitehead and FHP Lt. Bill Leeper told Channel 4's Scott Johnson that this was the most gruesome crash they'd ever seen.
Evidence from the scene showed that the truck did not brake before hitting the car, according to the FHP. The driver could face charges. The National Transportation Safety Board was also sending a team to investigate the crash.
School officials told Channel 4 that the students came from the county's elementary and middle schools.
Parents and relatives heard about the crash rushed to the scene, providing an additional challenge for police and rescuers.
"They were still, at that time, extremely upset. But we got some neighbors and some of the staff -- school staff -- got here," Whitehead said. "We got people with each one of them and got 'em calmed down. Actually, the students handled it very well, I thought."
The county set up a special phone line for parents needing information: (386) 496-4887. Officials said grief counselors would be at all three county schools Thursday to help students deal with the tragedy.
The speed limit in that stretch of the highway is 60 mph, and the bus had stopped at an approved bus stop.
"It's a dangerous road -- it's one lane going and one lane coming -- and they fly through here every day," resident Jason Wilson said. "I've lived here about seven years and I've witnessed over half a dozen fatalities out there."
The FHP said it would take most of the night to complete its investigation and clear and reopen the road.
