Associated Press
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. 鈥� Eleven people were injured when a bus carrying University of South Carolina students blew a tire and hit a concrete barrier in Mississippi.
said the driver and a student were critically injured and taken by helicopter to hospitals after the crash Friday, while nine other students were taken by ambulance.
The 56 passengers were members of the university鈥檚 chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and their guests, who were traveling to New Orleans for an event.
Troopers said the driver, 55-year-old Tina Wilson of Roebuck, South Carolina, was traveling west on Interstate 10 near Bay St. Louis when a tire blew and the bus hit a center concrete barrier. Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz said the bus careened away from the collision on two wheels before Wilson wrestled it back down onto all four wheels. Schwartz told the that Wilson 鈥渢ook every piece of strength in her body to hold that steering wheel long enough to get it back down on the road.鈥�
The windshield blew out, and Wilson was ejected when the bus hit the ground. A student, Paul Clune, then ran up and grabbed the steering wheel, Schwartz said. Clune tried to keep control until the bus skidded to a stop after nearly half a mile,
鈥淚f that bus had flipped, we would have had casualties,鈥� Schwartz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the bus driver and student that saved those kids. The bus driver is an incredible hero.鈥�
In this photo provided by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, a bus sits on Interstate 10 after blowing a tire and hitting a concrete barrier, near Bay St. Louis, Miss., Friday, April 5, 2024. The bus was transporting University of South Carolina students and their guests to an event. (Master Sgt. Cal Robertson/Mississippi Highway Patrol via AP)
Master Sgt. Cal Robertson/AP
The uninjured students were taken by school bus to another location and later were taken to New Orleans. The interstate was blocked for hours.
University of South Carolina spokesperson Collyn Taylor said Saturday that travel arrangements have been made for students who want to return to Columbia and the university will provide mental health and academic support for anyone affected by the accident. Taylor said university officials were trying to determine how many people were still in the hospital.
Troopers are investigating the crash by the bus owned by Dixon Motor Xpress of Chester, South Carolina. Owner Todd Dixon told on Saturday that the crash was a 鈥渇reak thing鈥� and that his company has had no other accidents since it was created in 2019.
The company has a satisfactory safety rating, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation鈥檚 Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In the previous two years, the company had passed an inspection and reported no accidents.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always had safe operations,鈥� Dixon said. 鈥淲e keep everything in top shape and don鈥檛 cut any corners, especially because we know we鈥檙e in the business of transporting people.鈥�
Dixon praised Wilson, saying 鈥淪he has years of experience and instinctively she is a safe driver.鈥�