The driver of the semi-trailer truck that hit the Saint Ignatius College Prep hockey team’s bus and injured 20 student athletes back in 2022 pleaded guilty Monday.
Victor Santos, from the Brooklyn borough of New York City, was sentenced to 22 years in prison after entering his plea. CBS News Chicago is told Santos showed no remorse in court and never apologized, but families of the boys said the justice system provided the closure that Santos himself did not.
Victor Santos
Kosciusko, Indiana Prosecuting Attorney’s Office
Santos was driving a semi-truck when he hit a bus carrying the Saint Ignatius hockey team, injuring 20 players. He was charged with 26 counts each of criminal recklessness and causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle.
The Saint Ignatius community calls the plea another step in its healing process.
Photos and videos from the scene of the crash on the evening of Nov. 12, 2022, are haunting.Â
Students are tended to after a crash involving a bus carrying the Saint Ignatius Wolfpack hockey team on Nov. 12, 2022.
Wendy Cook
The school community remains grateful that everyone survived.
“We sometimes overlook that miracles do happen,” said Mr. John Chandler, president of Saint Ignatius College Prep.
Chandler remembers the call he received at the time of the crash. The bus carrying the school’s Wolfpack hockey team, on a trip to Indiana for a tournament, was hit by a semi-truck in Warsaw, Indiana, about 40 miles west of Fort Wayne.
“When we received the phone call, obviously, our community was in shock,” Chandler said.
At the time of the accident, 23 student athletes from the junior varsity boys’ hockey team and two coaches were on the bus. The players were between 14 and 17 years old. The team was en route to a hotel from dinner in Warsaw, Indiana, after a tournament in Culver.
A total of 20 of the student athletes were hurt when Santos ran a red light and hit the bus.
Witnesses said Santos did not appear to try to slow down or swerve to miss the bus, traveling at more than 90 mph. His blood alcohol level was almost twice Indiana’s legal limit at the time of the crash.
Eighteen players, their parents, and two coaches filed a 98-count civil suit against Santos and two trucking companies. The lawsuit names the truck driver and two trucking companies, accusing them of willful disregard of the safety of those on that bus.
The plea in criminal court on Tuesday means accountability to this community.
“Today is another step in the healing process for our families, for our students, and certainly for our community,” Chandler said.
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