Amazon sued after teen injured in school bus crash involving driver with history of drug use, violations

The family of an Indiana teen who suffered traumatic brain injuries last year in a school bus crash is suing Amazon, a trucking company and local county officials for allegedly failing to keep a driver with a 20-year history of driving violations and drug use off the road.On May 8, 2025, Lucas Bradshaw, then 16, was traveling to a game with his junior varsity baseball team when truck driver Shawn Akison, 42, crashed into the back of their mini school bus, according to a lawsuit filed last week in state court.Akison was impaired by fentanyl, using his phone to check the Amazon app and traveling more than 75 mph in a 45-mph zone when the crash occurred – overturning the school bus and ejecting Bradshaw approximately 75 feet, the complaint alleged.Bradshaw was rushed into emergency brain surgery after the crash and was in a coma for 54 days, spending a total of 125 days hospitalized and in intensive rehabilitation, according to the suit.The teen suffered a severe traumatic brain injury, multiple brain hemorrhages, facial fractures and a broken arm, and continues to live with significant cognitive impairment, memory loss, vision loss and impaired mobility, according to the suit and his lawyers.His family is seeking damages from Amazon and Elite Courier, the trucking company that hired Akison, arguing they did not adequately perform background checks on Akison.They are also seeking damages from St.Joseph County, alleging police officers were aware of Akison’s erratic driving on May 8 and even initiated a pursuit – but terminated the chase without reporting it to neighboring LaPorte County officials once Akison crossed the county line. It is the third lawsuit filed in connection with the crash, which reportedly involved another school bus and a fourth vehicle – injuring seven baseball players and two coaches.“This was a tragedy, and our hearts are with the families affected as they recover and the entire LaPorte County community,” an Amazon spokesperson told...