An accident on Highway 98 involving a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College charter bus and Ford Ranger resulted in two fatalities Thursday evening.
A northbound Ford Ranger was crossing the highway at Pike 93 Central just west of Holmesville when a westbound the bus driven by 43-year-old Garry Grant of Ocean Springs struck the pickup.
Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Craig James said the accident happened around 5:30 p.m.
The driver of the Ford Ranger, driven by Gregory Young, 51, of McComb, was killed in the accident as well as the passenger, Brandy Simmons, 46, of Magnolia. They were pronounced dead on the scene.
“An MGCCC college bus was involved in an accident this evening on its way to a football game at Southwest Mississippi Community College. All students are safe and without injury,” MGCCC officials said in a statement Thursday night.
The bus was carrying members of the college’s band traveling to Southwest Mississippi Community College for a football game.
The westbound lane of Highway 98 was closed as a multitude of sheriff's deputies, firefighters and troopers worked the accident scene and removed debris.
Multiple agencies including the MHP, Pike County Sheriff's Office, Pike County Civil Defense, and others responded.
The crash remains under investigation by the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
This is the second known bus crash in Mississippi this month. A 2018 Volvo commercial passenger bus traveling from Atlanta to Dallas crashed on Interstate 20 near Bovina in Warren County on Aug. 31 killed seven people, including two minors who were siblings, and left dozens more injured. Six were pronounced dead at the scene with another was pronounced dead at Merit Health Hospital in Vicksburg.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said Sept. 2 that the wreck occurred after a tire on the charter bus carrying 43 passengers failed.
