COLUMBIA COUNTY, Ga. — A man was charged with driving under the influence after a bus he was driving to the Masters golf tournament overturned Thursday, according to the Georgia Department of Public Safety.
Passengers on the bus told Georgia State Patrol officers they were bound for Augusta when the bus overturned on Interstate 20 in Columbia County, according to a statement from the Department of Public Safety.
The bus ran off the right side of the road, the statement said, before the driver over-corrected to the left, overturning the vehicle in the median.
Passengers on the bus told WRDWthey noticed swerving before the bus veered off the interstate.
“Several” of the 18 passengers on board were sent to Doctors Hospital in Augusta with injuries not considered life-threatening, the department said.
Seven of the passengers were transported to Augusta University Medical Center.
“Five of those victims were in serious condition and two were in fair condition,” Augusta University Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Dr. Phillip Coule said.
Official said none of their injuries appeared to be life-threatening.
The bus driver, Steven Hoppenbrouwer, 61, of Gwinnett County, Georgia, was charged with DUI and a failure to maintain lane.
The Masters Tournament, held each year at the Augusta National Golf Club, starts Thursday.
Jet Executive Limousine Inc., the company that owns the bus, told CNN on Thursday morning it had no statement on the accident at this time.
