Tour Bus in Georgia Overturns On Way To Masters Golf Tournament

A tour bus headed to the Masters golf tournament flipped over on a Georgia interstate on Thursday, injuring at least a dozen people and snarling traffic as scores of fans made the pilgrimage to one of golf’s premier events. The bus driver has been charged with DUI.

Georgia State Patrol officials told news outlets that the bus carrying 18 people crashed on Interstate 20 around 8:45 a.m. Thursday, just as fans were driving in for the tournament’s first round. Sixty-one-year-old Steven Hoppenbrouwer is also charged with failure to maintain lane.

Authorities say Hoppenbrouwer ran off the side of the road and overcorrected before the bus overturned on the median.

WJBF-TV reports the Augusta University Medical Center says five patients were seriously injured and two are in fair condition. The station reports seven other people are either in fair or critical condition at another hospital.

The bus is owned by Executive Limousine.

The crash happened along a route taken by many golf fans who fly into Atlanta’s massive airport. Local television stations posted images of cars and trucks backed up along the interstate in the hours after the crash.

The Masters is one of the sport’s premier events and draws fans from around the Southeast – and around the world each spring.