Todd Dixon, owner of Dixon Motor Xpress of Chester, SC, said he’s “shocked” by the incident as his company has maintained a record free of any accidents since the company’s inception in 2019.
Dixon’s company has a “satisfactory” rating for safety inspections and had not reported any previous accidents before Friday, according to information from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
“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. The accident was a freak thing and I’m shocked it happened.”
A charter bus operated by Dixon Motor Xpress was involved in a single vehicle accident Friday afternoon after the bus’ front right tire blew out while traveling west on I-10 in Hancock County, Mississippi. The bus was transporting 56 USC students to an event in New Orleans. The blowout caused the bus to collide with a concrete barrier, resulting in multiple injuries, including the driver, who was ejected from the motor coach.
The driver, 55-year-old Tina Wilson of Roebuck, SC, and a student were airlifted from the scene in critical condition, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol. Nine students were taken by ambulance to a hospital, the patrol said.
Bay St. Louis Police Chief Toby Schwartz regarded Wilson as a “hero” in light of her efforts to prevent the bus from rolling over, according to a report by the Sun Herald of Biloxi, Mississippi.
During the incident, Wilson was ejected. In response, USC student Paul Clune jumped up out of his seat, ran to the front of the bus, grabbed the steering column and managed to get the bus to stop without it rolling over.
“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.”
It’s a sentiment Dixon agrees with.
“She has years of experience and instinctively she is a safe driver,” Dixon said.
As of Saturday morning, Dixon said he didn’t know why the bus’ tire blew out and that he was traveling to Biloxi to gather more information about the accident.
“I’m praying for all involved in this accident, including the students who didn’t need medical attention, because I know they’re shook up,” Dixon said. “Moving forward, we’re going to continue to do whatever we have to in order to keep our operations safe.”