St. Ignatius hockey players file lawsuit against semi-truck driver who hit bus
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Sixteen St. Ignatius College Prep junior varsity hockey players, their parents and coaches filed a lawsuit after their team bus was hit by a semi-trailer truck in Indiana earlier this month.
Some parents of the 16 students at the Near West Side Jesuit school who were hurt spoke at a news conference. The incident happened when an alleged drunken truck driver slammed into the back of their team bus just a few weeks ago.
The families said they're suing the truck driver and two trucking companies -- accusing them of willful disregard of the safety of those on that bus. The crash sent 16 players to the hospital, including three with serious injuries.
Police said the truck driver, Victor Santos from Brooklyn, New York, was drunk when he ran a red light and slammed into the back of the bus. He's now charged with 26 felony counts.
The players who were injured all now want to get back on the ice at Fifth-Third Arena, and feel their bond will be stronger than ever once this chapter is behind them. All but one has been released from the hospital.
But the trauma remains fresh 17 days later. Consider - some parents did not know if their kids were dead or alive that night, for nearly an hour.
The players' parents were 50 minutes behind their kids that night -- together at a restaurant.
"First, I said to everyone in the room – I said, 'Shut up!' and you know, everyone was quiet," said Karl D'Cunha, the father of a St. Ignatius Wolfpack JV hockey player.
D'Cunha said his son told him: "Dad - we've been hit by a truck. A lot of people are hurt."
"That night will never be something that any of us will ever forget," added Wendy Cook, the mother of a JV hockey player.
At 8:06 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, the semi-truck that later hit the bus was already being sought by police for swerving — driving off the road and into other lanes.
Two minutes later, as the St. Ignatius hockey team bus was just entering an intersection, the semi clipped the back of it – spinning it 180 degrees from due north to due south.
At the time of the accident, a total of 23 student athletes from the junior varsity boys' hockey team – and two coaches – were on the bus. The hockey 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. Warsaw is about 50 miles south of South Bend, and about 40 miles west of Fort Wayne.
The three students who were the most seriously hurt in the accident included one boy who was ejected.
Emergency crews responded to the injured and police tracked down the driver of the semi - as parents eager for answers say they got none.
"None of the boys answered their phones," Cook said. "For 50 minutes, we tried to figure out if these boys were alive."
After Good Samaritans offered phones to the boys that snowy night, some clarity finally arrived.
"The first thing we heard about the accident was: 'Mom it is really bad. It's really, really bad,' Cook said, "and to hear that come from a 14- or 15-year-old boy was so hard to hear."
Families raced to the hospital – only to arrive at the same time as the suspect.
"He was in handcuffs," Cook said. "He walked through a hysterical group of parents without a look of emotion on his face."
"Red eyes, like cold, robotic - as if nothing had happened," said D'Cunha.
In addition to criminal charges, suspected drunken truck driver Santos is now being sued by these families - whose boys are both rattled, and who have a new goal in mind.
"We want this guy put away for a long time," said D'Cunha.
"They're trying to be tough, but they are emotionally rocked by this," said Cook.
The parents also have questions for this trucking company.
"None of these kids deserve to be in this situation," said Jeff Rogers, assistant varsity coach dad to son who was injured. "These are freshman sophomore and some upperclassman who were just out there to play a hockey game and they were put in this situation. So we want answers. Why was this driver this semi truck, why was he driving for one?"
Sixteen players are a part of this civil lawsuit so far, and more could be added in the coming weeks.
The lawsuit names the truck driver and two trucking companies accusing them of willful disregard of the safety of those on that bus. Santos, 58, was charged with 26 felony counts each of criminal recklessness and causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle – both felonies.
The lawsuit claims his blood alcohol level was almost twice the legal limit at the time of the crash. Santos was stopped just after he drove off the road. He failed a breath test, police said.
Bond for Santos was set at a total of $77,500, with $2,500 cash required for his release. The 26 counts reflect the 26 people who had been on the St. Ignatius bus.
When Santos is in court in January – where he is asking for his bond to be reduced – the JV hockey players' parents say they will be there.
Meanwhile, nine teammates have taken to the ice since the accident/ They are eager to get everyone back - and more determined than ever to win.
