Gwinnett Man Charged With DUI After Bus Crash Enroute To Augusta

COLUMBIA COUNTY, GA — A man from Gwinnett County has been charged with drunk driving after a tour bus, traveling to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, overturned Thursday morning on Interstate 20 in Columbia County, according to the Georgia State Patrol. There were 18 passengers on the bus, and several of those riders have been transported to Doctors Hospital in Augusta with non-life threatening injuries, the state patrol said.

The driver of the bus, Steven F. Hoppenbrouwer, 61, has been charged with driving under the influence and failure to maintain lane.

The Georgia State Patrol said troopers received a call around 8:45 a.m. April 5 of the accident on the eastbound side of the interstate at mile marker 186. A preliminary investigation indicates the vehicle ran off the right side of the road and the driver overcorrected back to the left, resulting in the tour bus overturning in the median.

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The bus is owned by Jet Executive Limousine, Inc. Troopers were told by passengers that the bus was traveling to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, the Georgia State Patrol told Patch.
This is a developing story, so return to Patch for updates.

Patch Editor Kristal Dixon contributed to this article

Photo of Steven F. Hoppenbrouwer courtesy Columbia County Jail
Photo crash site courtesy CBS46