Quintin Watts, 52, was behind the wheel when a casino-bound bus carrying 41 passengers he was driving drifted off a highway near Williams, Calif., and crashed, authorities told The Sacramento Bee. In addition to the eight killed, 35 others were injured in the mishap.

Watts, who was upgraded to fair condition at Woodland Memorial Hospital in Woodland, Calif., was under arrest on a charge of driving under the influence, police said.

He was described by the Bee as a down-on-his-luck former truck driver and parolee who was hired to drive the bus by his stepfather, the owner of the charter bus company.

The newspaper said it was Watts' first time piloting a bus. His stepfather, Daniel Cobb, 68, was among the fatalities of the crash.

"The driver was falling asleep, and (Cobb) was trying to wake the driver up," said Liw Saechao, Cobb's business partner. "Daniel grabbed the wheel and tried to put the bus brake on, and it was too late -- it was already flipping."