Driver pleads guilty, gets 20 years for crash that injured St. Ignatius hockey team

WARSAW, Ind. (WGN) — A former tractor-trailer driver pleaded guilty Monday and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in connection with a 2022 crash involving a Chicago school bus carrying St. Ignatius College Prep hockey players.

Victor Santos pleaded guilty to five felony counts as part of a plea deal agreement. Two members of the hockey team gave impact statements at the afternoon hearing at the Justice Building in Warsaw, Ind.

Authorities alleged Santos was under the influence when he ignored a red traffic light and collided with the bus on Nov. 12, 2022, flipping the bus onto its side. The students on board were members of the St. Ignatius JV hockey team and were headed back to their hotel after finishing a tournament. Of the 23 students on the bus, 16 were injured, three critically. 

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Santos, of New York, was arrested at the scene and charged with multiple felony counts of impaired driving and unlawful gun possession.

More than a dozen of the of the students, their parents and two coaches have also filed a 98-count civil suit against Santos, the bus driver, and four trucking companies.