Teen’s Family Sues Over School Bus Crash

An Indiana family is taking legal action against Amazon, a trucking firm, and local county officials following a serious bus accident last year that left their teenager with a traumatic brain injury.

The lawsuit, filed last week, centers on Lucas Bradshaw, who was 16 at the time. He was headed to a junior varsity baseball game on May 8, 2025, when truck driver Sean Axon, 42, crashed into his mini-school bus.

As the lawsuit states, Axon was allegedly under the influence of fentanyl and distracted by his phone while using an Amazon app. The crash occurred while he was speeding—driving over 115 mph in a 45 mph zone—causing the bus to overturn and throwing Bradshaw about 75 feet from the vehicle.

Following the accident, Bradshaw required emergency brain surgery, was in a coma for 54 days, and ultimately spent 125 days in the hospital and rehabilitation. The injuries he sustained included severe brain trauma, cerebral hemorrhages, facial fractures, and a broken arm. His ongoing challenges encompass cognitive impairments, memory issues, vision loss, and motor difficulties.

The family is pursuing damages from both Amazon and Elite Courier, the trucking company that employed Axon, for allegedly failing to conduct a thorough background check.

The police are also part of the lawsuit against St. Joseph County, claiming that officers noticed Axon driving erratically and initiated a pursuit. However, when he crossed the county line, they concluded the chase without alerting LaPorte County officials.

This marks the third lawsuit related to the incident, which involved another school bus and a fourth vehicle, injuring several baseball players and coaches.

An Amazon representative expressed condolences to those affected, stating, “This was a tragedy… As this is an ongoing litigation, we will not be commenting further.”

Axon was working for Elite Courier, which was subcontracting for Amazon through the app Amazon Relay. According to the company’s policy, it performs daily checks but delegates the responsibility of background investigations to third-party carriers.

The family’s lawsuit emphasizes that the crash was a preventable tragedy, highlighting Axon’s troubling history of driving offenses, including a suspended license, speeding, cell phone violations, and fleeing the scene of a previous accident.

Less than four months after the bus crash, Axon was arrested for heroin possession due to another incident of erratic driving, as reported by local police.

Earlier this year, Axon was sentenced to eight years in state prison after pleading guilty to causing serious bodily injury while driving under the influence.

Besides fentanyl, he reportedly had used cocaine days prior and unprescribed hydrocodone pills the day before the bus crash.

St. Joseph County police and Elite Courier have not yet responded to requests for comments regarding the matter.