Warsaw, Indiana – A total of 16 people were injured Saturday evening when a semitrailer collided with a bus near Warsaw, and three of the injured were initially in critical condition but survived after receiving treatment in a hospital.
As we already reported about this incident, the driver of the semitrailer was taken into custody right after the collision, and police said that the driver was suspected of driving drunk. The identity of the driver was not immediately released to the public.
The collision happened at an intersection of U.S. 30 and a local street around 8 p.m. on Saturday. Due to the collision, the bus fell on its driver’s side, while the semitrailer ended up in a ditch. The local authorities later said that at least one person was thrown out of the bus during the crash.
The bus was traveling from Chicago, Illinois, to a place near Culver. The bus was full of students ages 14 to 17 from Chicago’s St. Ignatius College Prep, all part of a hockey team. A total of 13 people sustained minor injuries in the crash, but three others suffered more serious injuries and were immediately transported to two different hospitals in critical condition. Fortunately, they are all now in stable condition and expected to recover thanks to the medical personnel’s fast reaction.
Days after the incident, local officials released more details about the crash and informed the public that the semitrailer driver, now identified as Victor Santos of Brooklyn, New York, was allegedly driving intoxicated and has been charged with 26 felony counts. Santos is facing four counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle and 22 counts of criminal recklessness, according to online court records.
Police say the 26 counts match the 26 victims of the crime.
Santos was held on $75,000.00 bond plus $2,500.00 cash. Santos’ initial court hearing is set to take place in Kosciusko Superior Court on Thursday.
