Driver In Fatal Bus Crash Was In Another Wreck 3 Days Before: Report

MARION COUNTY, FL — The man accused in a deadly Marion County crash that killed eight people and injured 45 Tuesday was involved in another crash three days prior, NBC News reported.

Bryan Maclean Howard, 41, of Ocala, was charged on suspicion of eight counts of driving under the influence-manslaughter in connection with the bus crash, the Florida Highway Patrol said late Tuesday afternoon.

He is being held at the Marion County Jail without bond, jail records show. If convicted, Howard is facing a mandatory minimum of four years in prison, according to Florida statutes.

Marion County Judge LeAnn Mackey-Barnes ordered Howard to remain incarcerated until at least his June 18 court appearance, NBC reported.

"'Given your history of driving history and prior for leaving scene of accident,' Mackey-Barnes said she had no choice but to remand Howard into custody," NBC reported.

Authorities identified Howard as the driver of a 2001 Ford Ranger pickup truck that sideswiped a 2010 International Bus transporting about 53 people to a Dunellon watermelon farm around 6:35 a.m. Tuesday at West Highway 40.

The bus then went through a fence, hit a tree and overturned. Photos of the crash show the bus laying on its side with its front hood destroyed.

Howard, who reportedly had bloodshot and watery eyes, acknowledged to troopers that he smoked marijuana oil the night prior to the fatal crash and had taken three prescription medications before bed, WESH 2 reported, citing an arrest report.

He reportedly told troopers he was carefully driving at the time of Tuesday's crash. However, troopers said Howard "wrapped his mother's car around a tree" in an attempt to avoid an animal in his path, WESH 2 reported.

Troopers conducted a series of DUI tests on Howard before arresting him, the outlet reported, also noting Howard's extensive arrest record which included charges of careless driving, driving without a license and leaving the scene of a crash.

Those killed in the Tuesday crash were not immediately identified.

"Our sympathies and prayers are with the families of the deceased," Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Executive Director Dave Kerner said in a statement.

"Consistent with our duties, the Florida Highway Patrol will conduct both a thorough and exhaustive traffic crash and criminal investigation."

The hospital's chief medical officer, Dr. Rodrigo Torres, said in a Tuesday afternoon statement: "Our prayers are with all those affected by the tragic bus accident in Ocala this morning. AdventHealth is currently treating 16 patients, with 12 in our main emergency department at AdventHealth Ocala and four at AdventHealth Timber Ridge ER."

The Marion County Sheriff's Office said a Marion County Public Schools bus was not involved in the crash.

RELATED: 8 Manslaughter Charges Filed In FL Bus Crash: 8 Dead, 45 Workers Hurt

Woods said his heart goes out to the families of those who died.

"I've worked many fatalities in my career, and this is the death that you do not expect from your family members. This is the death that is a shock to you, and it's going to be hard on them; and rightfully so, because they just lost a loved one," he said.

"My heart goes out to them. I pray that the good Lord will give them whatever that He can to make them through this - and hopefully, and I'm confident we will have answers for the families to be able to give them closure of why we had this crash today."

It wasn’t immediately clear if the workers who were on the bus are migrants, but a Department of Labor document shows Olvera Trucking Harvesting Corp. recently applied for 43 H-2A workers to harvest watermelons at Cannon Farms in May, AP reported. The company again offered a base rate of $14.77 an hour, with promises of housing and transportation to and from the fields.