Authorities say the junior varsity hockey team from Chicago’s Saint Ignatius College Preparatory High School was returning to their hotel after a game in Warsaw on Saturday at about 8:06 p.m. when their bus was hit by a semi truck. The bus then flipped onto its side, ejecting at least one student, police said. At the time of the collision, a total of 23 students, two coaches and a bus driver were on board the bus. At least 16 people were taken to area hospitals, with one student ejected from the bus by the force of the crash. Three people were described as having “very critical” injuries after the crash. Police say that just two minutes before the crash, dispatchers were alerted to a semi truck drifting between lanes of traffic, speeding and going off the road as it entered Warsaw on U.S. 30. After hitting the bus, the semi drove a short distance down the road before coming to rest in a nearby ditch. When police approached the driver, they noticed a strong odor of alcohol in the truck’s cabin and the driver displayed slurred speech. After failing field sobriety tests, the driver refused to take a breathalyzer test and police obtained a search warrant to take blood samples at a local hospital. The driver, identified as a 58-year-old New York resident who was driving for a company out of New Jersey, is being held as prosecutors prepare to press charges including operating while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury. Additional charges are expected. The Chicago Blackhawks issued a statement following the crash, offering their condolences and encouraging fans to keep the team in their thoughts. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Saint Ignatius College Prep hockey team, their coaches and their families after the team was involved in a serious bus accident last night. Join us in keeping them in your thoughts,” the team said.
