UPDATE: Watch the press conference below.
Cavanagh Sorich Law Group Files Lawsuit on Behalf of St. Ignatius College Prep Hockey Players — Press Conference on Tuesday Nov. 29 at 10:30 a.m. at 161 N. Clark St. — will be broadcast live on Facebook Live
16 hockey players, their families and two coaches file lawsuit alleging negligence and willful and wanton disregard for the safety of those aboard the bus
Chicago, Illinois November 29th — Sixteen members of the St. Ignatius College Prep junior varsity hockey team, their parents and two coaches filed a three-count lawsuit late Monday afternoon in Kosciusko County, Indiana after a truck driver, with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit, ran a red light and crashed his semi-tractor trailer into the players’ school bus on November 12th in Warsaw, Indiana. The crash sent all 23 of the players and their two coaches to a local hospital including several who were transported to a level 2 trauma facility. The lawsuit, filed by Cavanagh Sorich Law Group (www.CavanaghLawGroup.com), names the truck driver, Victor Santos, and the trucking companies, N&V Trucking Express, B&W Cartage Company, Inc., B&W Cartage, Inc. and B&W Cartage International, Inc. as defendants. The complaint accuses the defendants of negligence and willful and wanton disregard for the safety of the players and coaches aboard the bus.
The crash occurred at approximately 8 pm on November 12, 2022 in Warsaw, Indiana. The team was returning to its hotel from a hockey tournament in Culver, Indiana in a yellow school bus. The bus was making a legal left turn on a green arrow when the truck driver, Victor Santos, barreled through a red light. On impact, both vehicles flipped on their sides. At least one student was ejected from the bus. Witnesses said it did not appear Santos tried to slow down or swerve to miss the bus. Before the impact, Santos was reportedly seen swerving back and forth across a highway and traveling more than 90 mph.
Santos’ blood alcohol level was .13%, almost twice the legal limit in Indiana, at the time of the crash. He was charged with 26 felony counts of causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle and criminal recklessness while armed with a deadly weapon. Santos is a registered sex offender in the state of New York, was convicted of rape in 1999. He was also previously charged in Indiana with failure to comply with federal motor carrier safety regulations and failure to register under the unified carrier registration system.
“Santos is a convicted felon who was previously incarcerated for sexual assault. He was previously charged, in Indiana, with violations of the federal motor safety carrier act. He never should have been on the road—much less hired to be behind the wheel of a semi-tractor trailer,” said Timothy J. Cavanagh, attorney for the plaintiffs. “Santos and the trucking companies must be held responsible for the egregious conduct that has left these young men with lifelong physical and emotional injuries.”
Many of the students who were injured are back at school, but several are still not well enough to return to class and one student remains hospitalized. It is possible more plaintiffs will be added to the lawsuit in the coming weeks.
Cavanagh Sorich Law Group will host a news conference to discuss the lawsuit on Tuesday November 29th in downtown Chicago. The firm’s trial team of Timothy J. Cavanagh, Michael Sorich and Stacey Cavanagh along with parents of the hockey players will attend and be available to answer questions. The news conference will also be broadcast live on facebook.
Read the filed complaint below:
About Cavanagh Sorich Law Group
Cavanagh Sorich Law Group is a Chicago law firm that focuses on representing individuals throughout the nation in catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases. Mr. Cavanagh has been recognized by Lawdragon Magazine as one of the top 500 consumer lawyer in America. The firm has been recognized by Best Law Firms since 2016. Mr. Cavanagh was named personal injury trial lawyer of the year by Best Lawyers in 2022. He has obtained settlements in past trucking cases of $10 million, $9.75 million and $4.175 million.