An alleged drunk driver of a tractor trailer was arrested by police Saturday in northern Indiana after he allegedly ran a pink gentle and crashed into a college bus carrying an out-of-state highschool hockey group, knocking it onto its facet and leaving greater than a dozen individuals on board with accidents.
Victor Santos, 58, from Brooklyn, New York, crashed the New Jersey-registered tractor trailer into the precise rear facet of the college bus simply after 8 p.m. on Saturday, on the intersection of the U.S. 30 freeway and Heart Road, the place the bus was making a flip, officers stated.
After being hit, the bus flipped onto its facet, ejecting not less than one scholar, whereas Santos saved driving till he careened right into a ditch off the freeway an eighth of a mile from the crash website, police stated.
The bus was carrying a highschool hockey group from St. Ignatius Faculty Prep in Chicago, who had been visiting for a match within the city of Culver, about 32 miles west of Warsaw, and heading again to their resort from dinner on the time of the crash, police stated.
Sixteen of the 26 individuals on board — which included 23 college students, two coaches and a bus driver — sustained accidents, authorities stated. Three youngsters had been initially categorized as having crucial accidents and despatched to native hospitals, in accordance with police.
As of Sunday afternoon, all 16 victims are in secure situation, in accordance with Brad Kellar, public data officer for the Warsaw Police Division.
On Sunday, the college posted a message to its Instagram web page thanking nicely wishers for his or her “ideas and prayers” for these concerned within the crash.
“Our group stands in assist of our JV hockey group that was concerned in an accident after a journey contest final night time,” the publish learn.
The Chicago Blackhawks additionally launched a press release in assist of the group following the crash.
“We ship our ideas and prayers to the Saint Ignatius Faculty Prep’s hockey group, their coaches and their households after the group was concerned in a critical bus accident final night time. Please be a part of us in protecting them in your ideas,” the NHL group stated.
Witnesses and surveillance footage revealed that Santos “disregarded a pink gentle by a number of seconds earlier than putting the bus throughout its flip,” police stated.
The crash occurred simply two minutes after police obtained experiences that the driving force was rushing, swerving into different lanes of visitors and driving off the roadway, officers stated.
A information launch issued by police acknowledged that “officers had cause to suspect alcohol was an element on this collision” after talking to Santos, who was slurring his phrases and smelled like alcohol.
Santos failed discipline sobriety assessments and refused to consent to a chemical check, police stated. Authorities obtained a search warrant that allowed hospital employees to take a blood draw to be submitted for official testing.
Santos is being held on a 48-hour maintain by the Kosciusko County Prosecuting Lawyer’s Workplace for formal felony costs associated to working a car whereas intoxicated and inflicting critical bodily damage, police stated.
The Illinois bus driver consented to a blood draw, police stated.
The investigation is ongoing, Warsaw Police stated in a information launch, including that “further costs could also be added or enhanced primarily based on the result.”
