Highway Patrol names driver of car that hit culture tour bus in Florida crash, killing 2

Patrol names driver in fatal Fla. tour bus crash

LAKE PLACID, Fla. — The driver of a car that investigators say hit a tour bus and caused it to roll, killing two people, is “shook up” and won’t comment on the case, her husband said Tuesday.

Betty J. Adams, 81, failed to yield while turning onto a rural highway and hit the side of the bus, according to a Florida Highway Patrol crash report. The bus ran off the road and rolled over at least twice, ejecting several passengers.

A man answering the telephone at Adams’ home on Tuesday said he was her husband — and that he and his wife wouldn’t comment on the crash.

“She’s real bad shook up,” the man said, declining to give his name.

The charter bus, which was carrying 32 people, was driven by 69-year-old Larry L. Metzger, who suffered serious injuries in the crash.

The highway patrol said two people died at the scene, while three people had critical injuries. The rest of the injuries ranged from serious to minor, and all but one of the people on the bus were taken to local hospitals. Adams wasn’t injured.

The names of the victims who died in the crash weren’t immediately released. A Florida Highway Patrol lieutenant did not returned a telephone message or an e-mail early Tuesday morning.

No charges had been filed Monday night.

The passengers, who ranged in age from 66 to 87, had traveled to the area from around the U.S. to participate in an educational program affiliated with South Florida Community College in Avon Park.

The group had just visited murals in Lake Placid, located about 30 miles northwest of Lake Okeechobee, and was headed back to a nearby hotel when the accident occurred.