A charter bus driver is being hailed as a hero along with a University of South Carolina student after a shooting on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, authorities said.
Bay St. Police Chief Louis Toby said, Schwartz, that the incident occurred Friday afternoon following an explosion on a Dixon Motor Express charter bus carrying members of USC’s Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. Fifty-six students are going to a formal party in New Orleans.
After the explosion, the bus swung to one side and was still rolling, Schwartz said, as the bus driver used all his strength to hold the steering wheel long enough to get it back on the road.
When the bus crashed onto the asphalt again, the windshield broke, and the driver was thrown out. As the driver was ejected, USC student Paul Clune jumped out of his seat, ran to the front of the bus, grabbed the steering column, and managed to stop the bus without turning around.
ALSO READ: Kansas City Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Reportedly Wanted by Authorities After Speeding Car Crash
“If that bus had flipped over, we would have had casualties,” Schwartz said. It was the bus driver and the student who saved these children. The bus driver is an amazing hero. The force of the collision caused injuries.
Two victims were evacuated from the scene by helicopter, including the bus driver. Nine students were transported by ambulance to a local hospital, said Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson.
POLL—Do You Support a Single-Payer Healthcare System (Medicare for All)?
The Highway Patrol identified the bus driver as Tina Wilson, 55, of Roebuck, South Carolina. In a statement Friday night, the University of South Carolina said it was working with Mississippi officials to receive updates and “assist in every capacity” possible.
“Our thoughts are with the students involved in the accident and those affected by it,” the statement said. Uninjured passengers were transported by school bus to the Bay St. Louis courtroom to shade them from the sun. Another chartered bus was arranged to pick up the students.
“The safety of these students is our primary concern, and we are grateful to first responders and all caregivers,” Sigma Phi Epsilon said in a separate statement. We commend SigEp members for taking immediate action to take control of the bus and prevent further tragedies.
We will continue to work with the University of South Carolina and local officials to assist the public with the physical and mental health of our students and guests.
According to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the accident occurred at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes of 1-10 near Highway 603.
Traffic was blocked for about two hours. Westbound entry and exit ramps have been blocked at Exit 13 (Kiln) and Exit 16 (Diamondhead) until debris is cleared. Traffic was blocked for at least three kilometers.
You Might Also Like:
Deep-Sea Expedition Captures Images of Creatures in Pacific Mining Zone
Teen Breaks the Internet, Claims His Aunt Hired His “Best Friend” of Ten Years
“Yellowstone” Actor Forrie J. Smith Says He Was Kicked Off Plane, Recounts Experience
US Military Fly Into Haiti to Beef Up Security at Embassy
