Semi truck driver charged in crash that injured 16 on St. Ignatius school bus
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Sixteen people are hurt, including high school hockey players from Chicago, after a crash involving a school bus and a semi truck. Police now say the driver of the semi had been drinking.
The crash happened in Warsaw, Indiana, northwest of Fort Wayne. The hockey team, from St. Ignatius College Prep, was returing from a tournament in Culver.
The school community spent Saturday celebrating several athletic accomplishments of students: the football team reaching the State semi-finals for the first time and a senior swimmer winning two events in state. But by Saturday night, the school was met with terrifying news of this serious crash in Indiana.
"We take what God gives us in each moment and celebrate those moments of joy and then we also recognize that we live in an imperfect world and need to be ready to reach out when there are times of sadness and challenge," said John Chandler, president of St. Ignatius College Prep.
Chandler says in this moment of sadness and challenge, the school community is already coming together in prayer and support of the more than a dozen students injured when their school bus was struck.
Warsaw police say around 8pm, officers were en route to stop that semi-truck after several reports of it speeding, swerving and driving off the road. Police say minutes before they arrived, the truck driver blew through a red light and crashed into the bus carrying 23 students and two coaches, striking it in the right rear. They believe at least one student was ejected from the bus. A school spokesperson says three students ended up at the Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital trauma center, where one required surgery. The other injured students were taken to a local hospital.
Three students were originally reported to be in critical condition by police, but the school Sunday said only one student was in critical condition. As of Monday morning, all students have been stabilized.
As the Warsaw Police Department said Monday morning, "Praise the Lord!"
The semi driver, identified as 58-year-old Victor Santos, from Brooklyn, New York, was arrested and is being held on charges of Operating While Intoxicated. Police say further charges could be coming.
Chandler says the school will have support counselors ready for students and staff this week and will continue to pray for the families involved.
"That is a very great gift here is a community that cares and is grounded in their faith. Looks beyond the sadness of the tragedies of the moment and moves forward in the future," he said.
Chandler says St. Ignatius, 1076 W. Roosevelt Rd., is planning a special mass for students, staff and the community Monday afternoon. A time has not yet been set.
Public records show that 58-year-old Santos is a registered sex offender. The New York native served prison time for first degree rape until his release in 2000. Since then, he has also been cited for at least two minor traffic violations.
Santos now faces new charges of driving while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury in Saturday's crash.
It is unclear if those on the bus were wearing seat belts. But in most states, including Illinois and Indiana, they are not required. Seat belts are only required by law in eight states: California, Florida, New Jersey, New York, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nevada and Texas.
A statewide effort in Illinois to mandate seat belts was last introduced in Springfield in 2017 and never made it out of the rules committee.
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth also introduced federal legislation requiring seat belts in school buses in 2019, but that stalled.
