At least 15 people were injured after a semi-truck crashed into a school bus in Warsaw, Ind. on Saturday night. The bus was carrying the St. Ignatius College Prep junior varsity hockey team, which had just left a game in nearby Culver, Ind.
At least three people are critically hurt while over a dozen more passengers are injured.
According to a post on the Warsaw Police Department’s Facebook page, the semi-truck driver was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. After police officers spoke with the driver, it was discovered that the driver that a “strong odor” of alcohol on his breath and had slurred speech.
The driver failed sobriety tests before being asked to consent to a chemical test, but he refused. A search warrant was later granted, which allowed officers to have hospital staff members obtain blood for testing.
The driver, who is a 58-year-old man from New York, is currently being detained on charges that include operating a vehicle while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury.
Video from the scene showed that the school bus’ rear was smashed in while the truck suffered damage to the front following the collision.
The crash occurred around 8 p.m. on Saturday evening on Highway 30 in Kosciusko County, Ind.
Police announced that officers responded to reports of a semi-truck with New Jersey registration that was swerving in and out of lanes at an “excessive” rate of speed. A short time later, officers became aware that the semi-truck struck the school bus and the bus landed on its side. Meanwhile, the truck eventually stopped after veering off the road into a ditch.
According to eyewitnesses at the scene, the semi-truck driver went through a red light moments before colliding with the bus as it attempted to turn.
The Warsaw Police Department also stated that there were 23 students between the ages of 14 and 17, two coaches and a driver that occupied the bus. At least 16 of those onboard were injured and at least one juvenile was ejected from the bus as a result of the crash.
Two of the injured juveniles were taken to Fort Wayne Lutheran Hospital via ambulance while the third was transported to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital. The remaining players and coaches, along with the bus driver, were taken to Lutheran Kosciusko Hospital in a bus that was provided by Warsaw Community Schools.
According to the team’s official website, the St. Ignatius College Prep junior varsity hockey team, which is based in the Chicago area, was playing in a tournament in Culver, Ind. this weekend. The team was heading back to its hotel when its bus was hit.
