The family of a New Prairie High School baseball player has filed a lawsuit over last year’s bus crash that left him seriously injured.
On May 8, 2025, the team was on its way to a game in Hobart, when its buses were hit by a box truck in LaPorte County. The truck reportedly was carrying freight for Amazon and had fled an attempted traffic stop in St. Joseph County.
One of the players hurt was Lucas Bradshaw, the son of volunteer coach Bradley Bradshaw, who was driving the bus. Now, Bradley is suing the truck’s driver, owner and operator, as well as Amazon.
The suit says they should’ve been aware of the truck driver’s record – which included multiple speeding tickets, charges for driving with a suspended license and a narcotics arrest. The suit also names St. Joseph County, saying its sheriff’s deputies failed to notify LaPorte County law enforcement about the pursuit, taking away a chance to intervene before the crash.
Investigators believe the truck’s driver, Shawn Akison, was looking at his cell phone and was under the influence of fentanyl. He’s been sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to two charges.
