A NorthWood student filed a lawsuit alleging an intoxicated bus driver endangered choir students during a 2024 trip to Michigan.
A NorthWood High School student filed a lawsuit last week against a bus driver and transportation company, alleging the driver was intoxicated while transporting choir students to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 2024.
Elise Mestach, now 18, filed the lawsuit in Elkhart County against driver John Schmidt and Berea Transport.
Mestach was a sophomore at NorthWood High School during the trip.
According to the lawsuit, students initially believed Schmidt was behaving oddly before the situation escalated.
“We started to realize our driver was a little weird,” Mestach told WVPE. “We just thought he might have been a little more of an eccentric guy.”
Mestach said Schmidt pulled the bus over at one point to search for the defrost button despite warm temperatures. She also said Schmidt later claimed there was a tornado warning and told students they might need to get into a ditch.
According to Mestach, students became alarmed after the driver struck construction barrels and drove onto a sidewalk.
“At one point he was driving on the sidewalk,” she said. “That’s when the panic really set in.”
The lawsuit alleges two teachers chaperoning the trip eventually convinced Schmidt to stop at a McDonald’s in Schoolcraft, Michigan.
Mestach said Schmidt later exposed himself in front of students outside the restaurant.
“In front of the kids; in front of a bus full of minors he pulled down his pants and started peeing,” she said.
Students were evacuated from the bus while teachers contacted police, according to Mestach.
Mestach said students became frightened after Schmidt entered the restaurant looking for a cup one of the teachers had taken from him.
“We were terrified because we don’t know what this man’s gonna do,” she said.
Police later arrested Schmidt.
Mestach said the emotional impact of the incident became more significant after the trip ended.
“When you’re in moments like that you’re not thinking about the what ifs,” she said. “That’s when the what ifs start coming in.”
According to Mestach, her family initially sought an apology from Berea Transport instead of filing a lawsuit.
“This whole thing came about because originally two years ago we sent a complaint to the company and said, ‘Hey, can we just get an apology for this?’” she said.
Mestach said the company never responded.
The lawsuit seeks damages from Schmidt and Berea Transport and requests a jury trial in Elkhart County.
WVPE reached out to Berea Transport for comment but did not receive a response.
