USC fraternity was headed for party in New Orleans when tragedy struck on Gulf highway
A social weekend that had been planned for months in New Orleans by a University of South Carolina fraternity turned tragic Friday when a bus carrying fraternity members and their dates crashed on an interstate in southern Mississippi.
A bus from USC’s Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity was on the way to the Crescent City for a fraternity formal, said John Barnhill, president of the fraternity’s local alumni board in South Carolina.
Reports indicated that two people — the driver and a student — were airlifted to a hospital. Nine other passengers were taken to a local hospital, authorities in Mississippi said. Authorities said 56 students were on the bus that crashed.
Josh Moorehead, president of the Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter at USC, confirmed Saturday that the student who was airlifted to a hospital was a fraternity member. As of Saturday afternoon, both that student and the bus driver were in stable condition, according to the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Moorehead on Saturday afternoon declined to speak further about the accident at this point, beyond saying that the fraternity was “sorting things out with everybody and injuries and whatnot.”
Details of the crash were still emerging Friday night.
Barnhill said the event is an annual fraternity weekend, one of the social highlights of the year for Sigma Phi Epsilon. He said all of the people on the bus were members of the fraternity and their dates.
“This is kind of their big thing, they have this formal once a year,’’ he said. “It usually is a destination kind of thing. This was a big deal because they were going to New Orleans this time.’’’
Sigma Phi Epsilon is a national social fraternity with chapters at universities across the country. The fraternity, called “Sig Ep’’ for short, was established in 1901 in Richmond, Va. The USC chapter has more than 160 members.
“I’m certainly concerned about the injuries,’’ Barnhill said, noting that the bus company had made arrangements to transport those who were not injured to New Orleans, where members already had hotel rooms reserved that they could stay in.
The driver of the bus was ejected after a tire blew and a Carolina student took the wheel, according to reports from Mississippi. When the driver was ejected, the USC student ran to the front of the bus and got the bus to stop, the Biloxi Sun Herald reported.
The accident near Bay St. Louis, Miss., occurred about 3 p.m. Central Time.
A statement from Sigma Phi Epsilon’s national fraternity spokesman praised the member who took control of the bus.
“SigEp sends our support and compassion to those impacted by the tragic accident involving a charter bus carrying some members and guests of our South Carolina Alpha chapter,’’ the statement said. “The safety of these students is our top concern and we are grateful to the first responders and all those providing care.
“We commend the SigEp member who acted instantaneously to take control of the bus and prevent further tragedy. We will continue to work with the University of South Carolina and local authorities to support the physical and emotional health of our students and guests. ‘’
The University of South Carolina issued a statement after the crash, saying it was working with authorities.
“USC is working closely with local authorities on the scene to obtain updates on our students and to assist in whatever capacity we can,’’ the university statement said.
This story has been updated. Staff writer Jordan Lawrence contributed reporting.
This story was originally published April 5, 2024 at 9:06 PM.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that one bus was transporting USC students to New Orleans. An earlier version had an incorrect number of buses, based on initial information from the fraternity.
