USC student dubbed ‘hero of the day’ in violent charter bus crash

MISSISSIPPI — A University of South Carolina student is being hailed a hero after eleven people were hurt in a charter bus crash in Mississippi.

Students in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at USC were traveling to an event in New Orleans over the weekend when a tire blew, leading to near disaster.

Mississippi Highway Patrol says the bus was thrown into a concrete barrier after the tire blew. The bus driver reportedly stood to get a better grip on the steering wheel when she was thrown through the windshield.

“The bus is still moving. Now it’s on all wheels on the ground, still moving out of control without a driver,” recounted St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz.

That’s when one of the students jumped into action.

“Heroically, the second hero of the day, a young man with Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, grabs the steering wheel, regains control of the bus until it came to a final stop,” Chief Schwartz said.

The driver and one student were airlifted to nearby hospitals in critical condition. According to our partner ABC station in Columbia, 11 people were injured on the bus carrying 56 students.

It’s unclear how they are doing this morning.

ABC Columbia reports that authorities are not sure what caused the crash, but preliminary information suggests that a mechanical failure may have caused the incident.

(WATCH: CMS student dies, 2 Charlotte Catholic students in ICU after crash near Asheville)

CMS student dies, 2 Charlotte Catholic students in ICU after crash near Asheville

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