APOPKA, Fla. — Holding eight white crosses, a community gathered to sing and pray.
They gathered Wednesday night to mourn eight lives lost outside Ocala Tuesday when troopers say the driver of a pick-up truck sideswiped a bus full of farm workers and caused an accident that killed eight on-board and injured dozens of others.
“We hold these candles tonight. May their gentle glow remind us of a hope that springs forth even in the darkest times,” one of the mourners, a pastor, said.
According to the Mexican Consulate in Orlando, the workers aboard the bus were from Mexico and were working in Florida on H2-A temporary visas.
Ernesto Ruiz, with the Farmworker Association of Florida, helped host the Wednesday vigil. His group is trying to support the survivors and the families of the eight who died.
“They’re not here. We can’t address their pain, but we can together mourn and grieve together, so in that regard, it’s important for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Mexican Consulate in Orlando said the Mexican government is also ready to help. In fact, the President of Mexico made that commitment in a Wednesday morning speech.
Meanwhile, the driver of the truck that troopers say caused the crash is facing eight counts of DUI manslaughter.
According to court documents made public Wednesday, he blew a 0.00 on two breathalyzer tests roughly eight hours after the crash but told troopers he smoked “marijuana oil” the night before.
He was denied bond, in part because of previous traffic infractions.
“It makes me feel really angry,” said Ruiz. “It feels like — a tragedy is a tragedy, and this makes it even more senseless, more disgusting. He had no business driving.”
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