Barre driver cited for DUI in I-89 U-turn crash

May 27, 2026  |  By Waterbury Roundabout

A Barre driver will face a DUI charge after an attempted U-turn caused a crash on Interstate 89 northbound on Sunday afternoon, according to Vermont State Police.

One passenger involved was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. 

The incident happened during rainy conditions near mile marker 64.8 north of Exit 10 in Waterbury shortly before 4:30 p.m., according to state police. 

Troopers determined that driver Deborah Freeman, 61, of Barre, was driving northbound in the travel lane and moved to the left lane, into the path of another vehicle traveling in the passing lane. Police said that Freeman was attempting to enter a highway U-turn connector between the north and southbound lanes in order to switch directions and head south. 

Freeman, who was wearing a seatbelt, had minor injuries and was not taken to the hospital. 

The driver of the Subaru, Christine Dorer, 49, of Roxbury, also was wearing a seatbelt and was not injured. A passenger in Dorer’s vehicle, 48-year-old Rhett Williams, of Roxbury, who was wearing a seatbelt, suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to Central Vermont Medical Center, police said. 

Freeman’s 2007 Ford Freestyle sustained extensive rear-end damage; Dorer’s 2019 Subaru Ascent had heavy front-end damage, police said. 

According to Trooper Tylor Rancourt’s report, the investigation determined that Freeman was under the influence of intoxicants. She was taken to the Berlin state police barracks and released with a citation to appear on June 4 in Washington Superior Court Criminal Division to answer to the charge of driving under the influence.

Waterbury Fire Department and Waterbury Ambulance Service responded to the call.