Drunk Semi-Truck Driver Responsible for Causing Several Injuries to Hockey Team
A 2022 Indiana crash injured 20 students after a semi-truck driven by Victor Santos struck a school bus carrying the St. Ignatius College Prep hockey team.
A serious commercial truck accident in Warsaw, Indiana injured members of an Illinois high school hockey team after a semi-truck collided with the school bus carrying the players. The crash occurred on November 12, 2022, when the bus was transporting the St. Ignatius College Prep junior varsity hockey team after a tournament in Indiana.
According to police and court records, the semi-truck driver, Victor Santos, was operating the vehicle at a high rate of speed and had a blood alcohol concentration of approximately 0.13 percent. The semi entered an intersection against a red light and struck the school bus, causing it to overturn.
The original civil lawsuit was filed on behalf of 16 hockey players, their parents, and two coaches against Santos and several trucking companies. By 2025, 18 players, their parents, and two coaches had been reported as plaintiffs in the civil litigation. Santos later pleaded guilty to five felony counts under a plea agreement that called for a 20-year executed sentence followed by probation.
Quick Answer
The crash occurred in Indiana, so Indiana law is particularly important to the civil and criminal proceedings arising from the collision. The civil lawsuit alleged negligence and willful and wanton conduct by the driver and trucking companies. The driver’s alleged intoxication and the evidence concerning the red-light violation are significant facts, but a trucking company is not automatically liable simply because it employed the driver. Employer liability, negligent hiring, negligent retention, negligent entrustment, and other theories depend on the evidence and the applicable law.
What Happened in the Warsaw School Bus Crash?
The accident occurred at approximately 8:06 p.m. on November 12, 2022, at the intersection of U.S. 30 and East Center Street in Warsaw, Indiana. The St. Ignatius College Prep junior varsity boys’ hockey team from Chicago was returning to a hotel after a tournament in Culver, Indiana.
Twenty-five people were on the bus: 23 student athletes and two coaches. The students were between 14 and 17 years old. The school bus was making a left turn on a green arrow when the semi-truck approached the intersection and collided with the bus.
The impact caused the school bus to overturn. Multiple students were hospitalized, including several who suffered serious injuries. According to later reporting, 20 students were injured in the crash.
November 12, 2022
The collision occurred in Warsaw, Indiana, on U.S. 30 near East Center Street.
25 Bus Occupants
The bus carried 23 hockey players and two coaches from St. Ignatius College Prep.
20 Students Injured
Later reports stated that 20 student athletes were injured in the collision.
No Fatalities
Despite the severity of the collision, no one was killed.
Evidence of Alcohol Use by the Truck Driver
Police reported that Santos displayed physical signs of intoxication after the crash. Officers reported that he had red and glossy eyes and slurred speech and that they detected the odor of alcohol.
Santos’ breath alcohol concentration was reported as 0.13 percent. The civil lawsuit alleged that he was operating the semi while intoxicated and that his intoxication contributed to the crash.
The criminal case ultimately moved forward in Indiana. In 2025, Santos agreed to plead guilty to four counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle while intoxicated and one count of criminal recklessness. The court accepted the agreement and sentenced him to 20 years in prison followed by two and a half years of probation.
YEARS
2025 Criminal Sentence
Santos pleaded guilty to five felony counts under a plea agreement that called for a 20-year executed sentence followed by two and a half years of probation.
Commercial Drivers Face Lower Alcohol Limits
Federal commercial-motor-vehicle regulations prohibit a commercial driver from operating a commercial motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or greater. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also prohibits a commercial driver from performing safety-sensitive functions within four hours after consuming alcohol.
The 0.04 commercial-driver limit is different from the 0.08 per se alcohol concentration limit that generally applies to adult drivers of ordinary motor vehicles under many state DUI laws. The applicable criminal charges in this case arose under Indiana law because the crash occurred in Indiana.
Commercial Driver Limit
Federal regulations prohibit a commercial motor vehicle driver from operating at or above a 0.04 alcohol concentration.
Reported Santos BAC
Police reported that Santos’ breath alcohol concentration was approximately 0.13 percent after the crash.
The Lawsuit Against the Driver and Trucking Companies
In November 2022, families of 16 St. Ignatius hockey players and two coaches filed a lawsuit in Kosciusko County, Indiana. The complaint named Santos and trucking companies identified as N&V Trucking Express, B&W Cartage Company, Inc., B&W Cartage, Inc., and B&W Cartage International, Inc.
The complaint alleged negligence and willful and wanton disregard for the safety of the students and coaches on the bus. By 2025, reporting indicated that 18 players, their parents, and two coaches had filed civil claims arising from the crash.
A civil lawsuit can identify multiple defendants when the evidence suggests that more than one person or business may have contributed to an accident. Each defendant’s liability must still be established under the applicable law.
When Is a Trucking Company Liable for a Driver’s Conduct?
A trucking company can potentially be held vicariously liable for the negligent acts of an employee acting within the scope of employment. The exact rule depends on the governing law and facts of the case.
Other claims may be directed at the trucking company itself, including allegations of negligent hiring, negligent retention, negligent entrustment, inadequate supervision, or failure to follow applicable safety requirements. These are separate legal theories and are not automatically established simply because a driver caused a crash.
In a case involving an allegedly intoxicated commercial driver, evidence concerning the driver’s qualifications, employment history, alcohol-related incidents, driving record, drug-and-alcohol testing, disciplinary history, and the company’s supervision practices may be relevant.
Driver’s Conduct
Evidence may establish whether the driver was intoxicated, speeding, distracted, or otherwise operating the truck negligently.
Employment Relationship
The facts may determine whether the driver was an employee, independent contractor, or operating under another type of relationship with the trucking company.
Company Practices
Hiring, retention, training, supervision, drug-and-alcohol testing, and disciplinary records may become relevant when the company itself is accused of negligence.
Causation
A plaintiff still must establish the required connection between the defendant’s conduct and the injuries being claimed.
Evidence Concerning Prior Driver Conduct
When a trucking company is accused of negligent hiring, retention, or supervision, the driver’s history may become important. Investigators may examine prior traffic violations, crashes, alcohol-related incidents, employer disciplinary records, required federal safety records, and other information available to the company before the collision.
The purpose of examining those records is not to assume that a company knew a driver would cause a particular crash. Instead, the evidence may help determine whether the company acted reasonably when hiring, retaining, supervising, or entrusting a commercial vehicle to the driver.
A Prior Incident Is Not Automatically Proof of Liability
Even when a driver has prior violations or safety issues, a plaintiff still must establish the legal elements of the particular negligence claim. The relevance of a prior incident depends on what the company knew, when it knew it, and the nature of the information.
The School Bus Accident Involved Multiple Potential Damages
The injuries reported after the Warsaw collision ranged from traumatic injuries to fractures and other serious conditions requiring hospitalization and ongoing treatment. Some students also faced significant emotional consequences after being involved in a violent bus collision.
Depending on the applicable law and the evidence, a personal injury claim arising from a commercial truck collision can involve medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, emotional distress, permanent impairment, disfigurement, and other legally recoverable losses.
Medical Treatment
Hospitalization, emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, medication, and future treatment may form part of a claim.
Lost Income
Serious injuries can prevent a person from working and may affect future earning capacity.
Pain and Suffering
A serious collision may result in physical pain, emotional distress, and other noneconomic losses.
Long-Term Effects
Some injuries can require continuing medical care and may affect education, employment, or ordinary daily activities.
The Role of the Trucking Company’s Insurance
Commercial truck accident claims can involve substantial insurance coverage and multiple potentially responsible defendants. After a serious collision, identifying all available insurance policies and the entities connected to the truck can be an important part of the investigation.
The existence and amount of insurance coverage do not establish liability. Coverage questions are separate from the question of whether a defendant caused the accident, but insurance information can become important when evaluating how a personal injury claim may be resolved.
Why This Crash Was More Than an Ordinary Traffic Accident
Commercial truck collisions can cause catastrophic injuries because of the size and weight of tractor-trailers. In this case, the risk was especially serious because the semi struck a school bus carrying teenagers.
The criminal prosecution and civil lawsuits also involved different legal questions. The State prosecuted Santos for alleged criminal conduct, while the civil plaintiffs sought compensation based on negligence and other alleged wrongdoing. A criminal conviction or guilty plea can become relevant evidence in a related civil case, but the civil court still applies its own legal standards.
Criminal and Civil Cases Are Different
Santos’ 2025 guilty plea resolved criminal charges in Indiana. The civil claims brought by injured players, parents, and coaches involve separate questions about negligence, damages, and the responsibility of Santos and the trucking companies.
The Crash Occurred in Indiana, Not Illinois
Although the injured hockey players were from Illinois and the original lawsuit was brought by Illinois families, the crash occurred in Warsaw, Indiana. That distinction matters because Indiana law can govern important substantive and procedural issues in the civil litigation.
Illinois residents injured in an out-of-state truck accident may still have legal options, but determining which state’s law applies to a particular claim requires a case-specific analysis. Factors can include where the accident occurred, where the parties are located, and what claims are being asserted.
Talk to a Danville, IL Truck Accident Attorney Today
A serious commercial truck collision can involve multiple injured people, trucking companies, insurance policies, driver-safety records, and complicated questions about liability. When an Illinois resident is injured in an out-of-state trucking accident, additional questions about applicable law may also arise.
The Danville, IL truck accident attorneys at Patel Law, PC represent people injured in commercial trucking accidents. Our firm can review the circumstances of a collision, investigate potential defendants, and evaluate the damages associated with serious injuries.
Contact Patel Law, PC to schedule a consultation regarding your Illinois truck accident or out-of-state commercial vehicle injury claim.
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Sources
InkFreeNews — Semi Driver Facing Charges in 2022 Bus Crash Signs Plea Deal
CBS Chicago — Truck driver charged in St. Ignatius bus crash in 2022 is expected to plead guilty
InkFreeNews — Lawsuit Filed Against Semi Driver Who Hit School Bus in Warsaw
CBS Chicago — St. Ignatius Hockey Team Lawsuit
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — Commercial Driver Alcohol and Safety Regulations
Indiana General Assembly — Title 9, Motor Vehicles
