16 injured after tractor trailer crashes into school bus in Indiana; Brooklyn man taken into custody
WARSAW, Ind. -- A 58-year-old Brooklyn man was taken into custody in Warsaw, Indiana, on Saturday night in connection to a suspected drunk driving crash involving a tractor trailer and a school bus.
Warsaw Police say patrol officers were notified around 8 p.m. of a tractor trailer with New Jersey registration swerving into other lanes, speeding and driving off the road on U.S. 30.
Minutes later, officers were told the driver of the tractor trailer had rear-ended a school bus, knocking the bus onto its side. The tractor trailer driver then went off the road into a ditch.
Police say there were 23 students, two adults and a bus driver on board the school bus. All of the students are between 14-17 years old.
According to Warsaw Police, at least one student was thrown from the bus in the crash.
A total of 16 people were injured. Two students and one other individual were critically injured. Ten people had no injuries or were determined to be OK at a local hospital.
Witnesses told police the tractor trailer driver ran a red light before striking the bus. Officers say they could smell alcohol on the driver and in the cab of the truck, and the driver also allegedly had slurred speech.
Police say the driver failed field sobriety tests and refused to consent to a chemical test. A search warrant was granted, and his blood was drawn at the hospital. Results have not yet come back.
The driver is being held on a 48-hour hold for felony charges of operating while intoxicated, causing serious bodily injury.