CORNELIA, Ga. - Edwin O. Wilbanks, a business man who developed a love for the motorcoach industry at the age of 55, was killed late last month when the bus he was driving apparently caused a multi-vehicle wreck.
Mr. Wilbanks, 69, had operated BOWA Trails Inc. of Cornelia and Kingston, Ga., as well as Jacksonville, Fla., since acquiring the company in 1990. He also owned Cornelia Tractor & Implement, a farm equipment business he had operated since 1964.
Mr. Wilbanks was pronounced dead at the scene of a four-vehicle crash involving the coach he was driving on Interstate 20 near Columbia, S.C.
Also killed in the wreck was the driver of an auto; 51 others were hurt, said Lance Cpl. J.M. Robinson of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. The pileup involved a pickup truck, a 1989 Peterbilt tractor-trailer, a Ford Focus and the motorcoach, Robinson said.
"They were all stopped in traffic on I-20," Robinson said. "Then, for some reason - unknown and still under investigation - the bus struck the Ford Focus, slamming the Ford Focus under the tractor-trailer. The tractor-trailer then struck the pickup. The driver of the Ford Focus and the driver of the passenger bus were fatally injured," Robinson added.
The incident occurred about 2:30 p.m. in the westbound lanes of I-20. The coach Mr. Wilbanks was driving was carrying a family back home from a reunion.
Mr. Wilbanks purchased BOWA Trails from a relative early in 1990, when it had two buses. Today, the company has 10 coaches and offers tour and charter service nationwide.
"Edwin loved to drive his bus," said John Klapmeyer, BOWA Trails general manager. "He was a good man." Because of his love for driving, Mr. Wilbanks included himself in the normal rotation of drivers.
Mr. Wilbanks was a deacon and member of Level Grove Baptist Church where he was active in church affairs, including having been Sunday School superintendent. He also was a U.S. Army veteran.
Survivors include his wife of nearly 49 years, Mozelle, of the home; two sons, Donald and Danny, and a sister, Patricia DeWitt.
A memorial has been established in Mr. Wilbanks name at the Level Grove Baptist Church, P.O. Box 416, Cornelia, GA 30531.