St. Ignatius College Prep hockey team injured after crash in Northeast Indiana
WARSAW, Ind. (CBS) -- At least three people are critically hurt and over a dozen more injured after a semi-truck crashed into a school bus in Northeast Indiana Saturday night.
The bus was carrying a hockey team from St. Ignatius College Prep.
CBS 2's Asal Rezaei reported on how it happened after the team left a game in Culver.
The Warsaw Police Department in Indiana posted on their Facebook page that the semi-truck driver has been arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated.
Video obtained from our CBS affiliate in Southbend Indiana WSBT shows the rear of the school bus smashed in. The truck also suffered damage to the front.
The crash happened around 8 p.m. on Highway 30 near East Center Street in Kosciusko County, Indiana.
Police say officers responded to reports of a tractor-trailer with New Jersey registration swerving into other lanes at an excessive speed. Moments later, responding officers were notified that the semi struck a school bus that landed on its side. The truck came to a stop after driving off the roadway into a ditch.
The president of St. Ignatius College Prep says there will be a special mass tomorrow for students, staff and the community. The time is not yet set. @cbschicago
— Jackie Kostek (@JackieKostek) November 13, 2022
The semi-driver disregarded a red-light seconds before striking the bus during its turn, according to witnesses.
Warsaw police say 23 students between the ages of 14 and 17, two coaches, and a driver were on the bus. At least 16 people were injured - three of them being reported as critical. An initial investigation says at least one of the juveniles was ejected from the bus.
Two of the critically injured juveniles were transported by ambulance to Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital and the third was taken to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital. The remainder of the players, coaches, and bus driver were also transported to Lutheran Kosciusko by a bus provided by Warsaw Community Schools.
After speaking with the driver, officers detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on him and in the cab of the semi and noticed slurred speech. After failing standardized field sobriety tests, the driver was asked to consent to a chemical test but refused. A search warrant was granted allowing officers to have hospital staff take blood for testing.
The semi driver, a 58-year-old man of New York, is currently being held for charges including operating while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury.
The team's Twitter account says the St. Ignatius College Prep's JV hockey team was playing in a tournament this weekend. They were on their way back to their hotel when their bus was hit.
The Chicago Blackhawks issued a statement sending their thoughts and prayers to the team and their families.
We send our thoughts and prayers to the Saint Ignatius College Prep's hockey team, their coaches and their families after the team was involved in a serious bus accident last night. Please join us in keeping them in your thoughts.
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 13, 2022
Investigation into the crash remains ongoing.