INDIANAPOLIS — Prosecutors have criminally charged a semi-truck driver with Reckless Homicide and Criminal Recklessness following the death of a 9-year-old boy.
Court documents allege semi-truck driver Dieuson Leron was speeding in a 45 mph construction zone, following too closely and in violation of “multiple” commercial motor vehicle regulations at the time of the crash that killed Eamon Goodrich, 9, of New Albany.
The crash happened on July 25, 2024, on I-465 near Old US 31 on the south side of Indianapolis.
Leron rear-ended the Goodrich family's Honda Civic, records show, and jackknifed into into the left lane.
The driver told Indiana State Police he had been driving semi-trucks for two years and was hauling U.S. Mail.
Investigators estimated Leron was driving more than 61 mph at the time of the crash in a 45 mph construction zone.
An investigator with Indiana State Police determined that if Leron had followed the speed limit, the crash would have been less severe and he would have taken less time to stop.
“It appeared Mr. Leron did not apply his brakes prior to impact,” court documents allege.
ISP located a dog in the front passenger seat of his vehicle, as well as food and drink items, a laptop computer, GPS and two cell phones.
"Mr. Leron advised he was not distracted by anything in his vehicle prior to the collision," read the probable cause affidavit.
At the time of the crash Leron said he lived in Texas, but court records show his current address is in Florida.
WRTV Investigates is working to reach Leron for comment.
A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Leron departed from a USPS processing and distribution center in Sioux Falls, DS at 4 am ET on July 25 and his load was due to be delivered in Cincinnati at 10:45 pm ET, court documents allege.
Given the 857 miles in total distance, Indiana State Police noted that the contractor was required to provide Mr. Leron with a co-driver, which he did not have, and that the trip could not be legally completed in the maximum driving time of 11 hours allotted to commercial vehicle drivers.
According to court records, Leron listed a co-driver on his driving log, but Leron was the only one in the truck at the time of the crash.
As WRTV Investigates has reported, Eamon Goodrich’s mother and father have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Leron and the company he worked for after the death of their son.
Eamon’s father, Chris Goodrich, and his little sister, Brynn, both survived the crash.
The Goodrich family provided the following statement in response to the charges:
"We appreciate the time and effort of the Marion County Prosecutor and the Indiana State Police team. We understand that ongoing patience is required as we continue to seek justice for our family. A number of distressing facts were made public yesterday. We have been presented with information that is difficult to hear and will take time to process. As we continue to move forward in a world that is no longer brightened by Eamon’s presence, we are thankful for the love and support of family, friends, and our community."
Investigators also found Leron passed several construction warning signs about the upcoming construction on I-465.
Eamon, his sister Brynn and father Chris were on their way home to New Albany from a summer vacation in Michigan while Eamon's mother, Natalie, worked on her new business.
The goal was to make a lot of family memories before school started.
"I don’t have any memory of the accident at all,” said Chris. “We had just stopped and gotten gas and chocolate shakes, and then I woke up a couple of days later in the hospital."
Natalie raced to the hospital in Indianapolis.
“I wasn’t actually told until I was face to face with Sgt. Elwood that my boy was gone," said Natalie.
Chris and Natalie Goodrich say another way they’re honoring Eamon is by telling the world what happened on I-465 should not have happened.
"It really sounds like it was more than just a freak accident,” said Natalie. “It sounds like choices were made and the choices that were made did not keep our son safe."
They filed a wrongful death lawsuit on December 20 against:
- Dieuson Leron, semi-truck driver
- Forward A2B Inc., motor carrier based in Illinois
- Solomon Bros LLC, vehicle owner based in Illinois
The lawsuit alleges Leron did not have a valid Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) at the time of the crash, “carelessly and negligently followed too closely” and “failed to reduce his speed.”
WRTV Investigates checked with Indiana State Police, and Lt. Ty Utterback said while Leron did not have an Indiana CDL, he did have a valid CDL out of Texas.
The family's lawsuit also alleges the trucking companies failed to screen and supervise their drivers, as well as failed to implement safety policies and procedures.
"There’s accountability of the driver and of the business willing to let this situation even happen,” said Natalie.
Records show the driver violated the Hours-of-Service rules, which are meant to keep tired drivers off the road.
Specifically, the report shows the driver was supposed to stop for a break before his 11th hour of driving but instead “continued to drive for another 23 minutes.”
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"It seemed more about dollars than safety and that meant I don’t have a son anymore,” said Natalie.
WRTV Investigates checked again this week and found multiple safety violations that prompted the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to place Forward A2B “Out of Service” and deemed them “unfit” to operate.
FMCSA placed Forward A2B (#03700129) into Out of Service status on Oct. 28, 2024, according to a FMCSA spokeperson.
That means Forward A2B can’t operate until the federal government determines they’ve addressed safety issues.
WRTV Investigates emailed and called Forward A2B and Solomon Bros, but we were unable to reach anyone — in fact, several numbers are now out of service.
We've also contacted an attorney listed for them and we have not yet heard back.
Chris Goodrich is still struggling with injuries to his brain, eyes and vocal cords.
"I can't sing to my daughter like I used to," said Chris Goodrich.
Chris and Natalie are struggling with the quiet.
"We don't hear our kids arguing anymore or picking on each other," said Chris.
