BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) — Eleven people were injured when a bus carrying University of South Carolina students blew a tire and hit a concrete barrier in Mississippi.
Mississippi state troopers 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's 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 Sun Herald of Biloxi that Wilson “took every piece of strength in her body to hold that steering wheel long enough to get it back down on the road.”
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, WLOX-TV reported.
“If that bus had flipped, we would have had casualties,” Schwartz said. “It’s the bus driver and student that saved those kids. The bus driver is an incredible hero.”
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 The State of Columbia on Saturday that the crash was a “freak thing” 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’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. In the previous two years, the company had passed an inspection and reported no accidents.
“We’ve always had safe operations,” Dixon said. “We keep everything in top shape and don’t cut any corners, especially because we know we’re in the business of transporting people.”
Dixon praised Wilson, saying “she has years of experience and instinctively she is a safe driver.”
In this photo provided by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, first responders tend to a passenger from a bus after it blew a tire and hit a concrete barrier on Interstate 10, 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)
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)
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)
Commencement ceremonies are being held at colleges and universities across the U.S. As many campuses have been roiled by protests over the Israel-Hamas war, some school administrations have taken steps to contain disruptions during their commencement activities.
University of Michigan's commencement was held early Saturday with a few interruptions. Ahead of the ceremony, the school had said staff and security officers were ready to respond and that interfering with commencement would not be considered free speech.
Here is a look at some of the commencement ceremonies:
In Boston, commencement ceremonies for Northeastern University began peacefully Sunday morning at Fenway Park.
Some students waved Palestinian flags but those were dotted among flags from India, the U.S. and other nations. Graduate students had their ceremony first, with the undergraduate ceremony scheduled for the afternoon.
Police last month arrested about 100 protesters at Northeastern when they broke up an encampment on the Boston campus.
Police officers stood nearby as some graduates holding Palestinian flags and shouting pro-Palestinian messages protested during commencement at the University of Michigan on Saturday, where tens of thousands of people gathered inside Michigan Stadium. One banner said, “No universities left in Gaza.”
The protests were away from the stage and didn’t stop the nearly two-hour event. But U.S. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro paused a few times during remarks and at one point said, “Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, if you can please draw your attention back to the podium.”
Del Toro administered an oath to graduates in the armed forces. He said they would “protect the freedoms that we so cherish,” including the “right to protest peacefully.”
Protesters have been demanding that Michigan cut financial ties with any companies connected to Israel. The university has allowed protesters to set up an encampment in the middle of campus.
Police assisted in breaking up a large gathering Friday night outside a campus art museum where a dinner was held for recipients of honorary degrees. At least one person was arrested.
A graduate holds his cap with an Israeli flag while shouting at pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
CORRECTS PHRASE ON BANNER - A plane pulling a banner that reads "Divest From Israel Now! Free Palestine" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024.( Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
A plane bearing a banner that reads ""We stand with Israel jewishlivesmatter.us" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Jacob Hamilton/Ann Arbor News via AP)
Graduates sporting Israeli flags and pins shout at Pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Graduates sporting Israeli flags and pins shout at Pro-Palestinian protesters as they demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrate during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
A plane bearing a banner that reads ""We stand with Israel jewishlivesmatter.us" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
A plane bearing a banner that reads ""We stand with Israel jewishlivesmatter.us" flies overhead before the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Rawan Antar, 21, center, chants in support of Palestinians during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
Rawan Antar, 21, center, chants in support of Palestinians during the University of Michigan's Spring 2024 Commencement Ceremony at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Saturday, May 4, 2024. (Katy Kildee/Detroit News via AP)
