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 The Post. “Given this is active litigation, we have no further comment.”
Akison was hired by Elite Courier, a third-party trucking company based in Illinois, and made Amazon deliveries as a subcontractor through the app Amazon Relay. According to company policy, Amazon conducts daily carrier screenings and driver verifications, leaving the third-party courier responsible for background checks.
But the lawsuit described the life-changing incident as a preventable tragedy, arguing neither Amazon nor Elite Courier flagged Akison even though he had a history of driving with a suspended license, speeding, unlawful use of a phone while driving, weaving in and out of lanes and even leaving the scene of a separate traffic crash.
In January 2025, less than four months before the tragic school bus crash, Akison was arrested and charged for possession of heroin while he was making Amazon deliveries for Elite Courier after local police received 911 calls about his erratic driving, according to the lawsuit.
Earlier this year, Akison was sentenced to eight years in Indiana prison after he pleaded guilty to causing catastrophic injury while operating a motor vehicle under the influence.
In addition to fentanyl, Akison had consumed cocaine approximately five days before the school bus crash, as well as three unprescribed Hydrocodone pills the day before the crash, according to the lawsuit.
St. Joseph County Police did not immediately respond to noti.group’s request for comment. Elite Courier could not be reached.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
