UPDATE, 7 p.m.:
Several of the 17 injured in the bus crash en route to Augusta National are still being treated for injuries at Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta, Ga. and Augusta University Medical Center.
WRDW talked to one passenger on the bus who was treated at the medical center. “I didn’t get to see Tiger, I didn’t get to see the course, nothing,” Shreyas Kataria said. “I had my head banged into the window in front of me and then I was basically just lying flat on the other side because the van flipped over.” He described several serious injuries including broken ribs and “multiple compount fractures.”
The WRDW report stated that five victims are still in serious condition, while two are in fair condition.
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Sixteen people are being treated for injuries when a bus crashed on its way to the Masters Tournament at Augusta National on Thursday morning, according to WRDW and the Georgia State Patrol.
A tour bus heading from Atlanta to Augusta carrying 18 people overturned around 8:45 a.m. on the eastbound side of I-20. The bus, carrying 18 people, went off the right side of the road before going off the left side of the road and flipping over in the median.
The driver of the bus faces several charges, according to a release from the Georgia State Patrol. “Steven F. Hoppenbrouwer, 61, of Gwinnett County, was Charged with DUI and Failure to Maintain Lane,” the release said. Hoppenbrouwer was also charged with failure to wear a seatbelt.
Augusta University Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center, reported they received seven adult victims from the bus crash. Five were in serious condition and two in fair condition, according to the Gwinnett Daily Post. Several others with non-life-threatening injuries were transported to Doctor’s Hospital in Augusta, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
Troopers were told by passengers that the bus was headed to the Masters for the day. “I saw a bunch of people with their passes on, talking to deputies,” a WRDW reporter on scene said.
No word on how long you could see these slowdowns on I-20 east and westbound – we are waiting for @CCSO_GA to give us more details. @WRDW_WAGT pic.twitter.com/dIMUHo4IWE
— Brooke Zauner (@BrookeWRDW) April 5, 2018
The Georgia Department of Transportation reported that eastbound traffic was being diverted around the crash in a single lane on the right shoulder, and recommended that drivers find an alternate route.
Here’s the release we got from Gerogia State Patrol. The bus was carrying 18 passengers who were headed to @TheMasters @WRDW_WAGT pic.twitter.com/JQuurCW8aC
— Brooke Zauner (@BrookeWRDW) April 5, 2018
This post will be updated as more information becomes available.
