Charter Bus Flips In Maine After Driver Falls Asleep, Police Say

BURNHAM, Maine (AP) — A charter bus with 35 people on board overturned on Interstate 95 after the driver fell asleep, and four passengers suffered minor injuries, Maine State Police said Wednesday.

The tour bus for the Nebraska Theatre Caravan drifted off the right side of the road, turned on its side and came to rest down an embankment in Burnham around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, police said.

The injured passengers, three women and a man in their 20s and 30s, were taken to hospitals. The rest of the passengers and the driver were taken to a motel in Waterville.

The University of Maine Collins Center for the Arts announced that the theater troupe's Thursday night performance of "A Christmas Carol" was canceled. The group said on social media that "the remainder of the tour is yet to be determined."

Police said the driver, Charles Barry, 65, of Omaha, Nebraska, was cited by troopers on a charge of failing to maintain control of the bus. The bus is owned by Arrow Stage Lines, of Omaha. It wasn't immediately known if Barry had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf.

Police said the group was headed to Orono, Maine, from Schenectady, New York. The Nebraska Theatre Caravan is the professional touring company of the Omaha Community Playhouse.

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