A University of South Carolina student is being hailed as a hero for grabbing the wheel of an out-of-control bus after its driver was thrown onto a Mississippi interstate with dozens aboard.
The charter bus carrying 56 students crashed around 3 p.m. Friday on Interstate 10 in Hancock County, Mississippi, on the way to New Orleans for a fraternity formal, according to reports.
The chaos began when a tire on the bus blew out, Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz told local outlet WLOX.
The driver "stood on that steering wheel with every ounce of energy to keep that steering wheel straight," Schwartz told the outlet.
Despite her efforts to maintain control, the wheels on one side of the bus went airborne at one point, causing the bus to lean.
When the bus leveled out, the windshield shattered and the driver was thrown out, Schwartz reportedly said.
But the bus continued "out of control" for another half-mile, Schwartz said.
That's when, in what Schwartz described as a "heroic action," one student grabbed ahold of the wheel and took back control of the bus, eventually bringing it to a complete stop.
"Because of the bus driver's quick actions and then the students' quick actions, right now we don't have any fatalities," Schwartz said.
Nine students were taken by ambulance to a local hospital, while a tenth student and the driver were airlifted to a hospital in critical condition.
"The University of South Carolina was informed tonight of an accident in Mississippi involving a charter bus carrying USC fraternity members and their guests traveling to an event in New Orleans," the school said in a statement to CNN. "Our thoughts go out to the students involved in the accident and those affected by it."
