Bus crash snares drum corps a rare day of rest
Emma Roberts lay on an air mattress in the corner of a Derby High School classroom.
Her right elbow was fractured.
A couple of bottles of prescription pills were nearby.
The few hours of sleep she had were spotty at best.
But the smiley color guard coach from Miami said the bus accident that smashed her elbow and resulted in minor injuries to five others might be a good thing in the big picture.
It gave more than 135 drum and bugle corps members another day of intense practice and a rare seven hours of sleep — on their backs.
The Cadets, a group of 14-to-22-year-olds from all over the United States and several other countries, filled four buses and several trailers in mid-June.
They’ve been on the road since, counting as many sheep as they can while slumped against the window of a bus traveling from one city to the next.
Their cross-country tour ends Aug. 12 after the Drum Corps International World Championship at Gillette Stadium, where the New England Patriots play.
After winning the Drums Across Kansas competition Monday night, they were getting ready to leave for Texas when a bus carrying the team’s color guard rear-ended a staff bus as it was leaving the parking lot.
Several group members were treated for minor injuries. One bus driver was knocked unconscious and was released from the hospital Tuesday, tour manager Megh Healy said.
