INDIANAPOLIS (KHN) – Nearly 7 months to the day after 9-year-old Eamon Goodrich was killed when a semi collided with the back of his father’s Honda Civic, the truck driver who was found to be at fault by a state police inquiry was charged with multiple felonies.
Dieuson Leron of Jupiter, Florida, was charged Thursday with reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony, and two counts of criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.
Previous stories describe how state police determined that Leron was at fault in the fatal crash for “following too closely” behind the family’s Honda Civic on Interstate 465 and driving at a “unsafe speed.”
On July 25, 2024, at around 7:30 a.m., a collision occurred in the middle lane of I-465. Leron was driving a red 2018 Freightliner with Illinois plates and failed to stop for backed-up construction traffic.
Leron rear-ended the Goodrich family’s Honda Civic with such force that other vehicles collided. Leron also lost control of his semi, and the trailer jackknifed into the left lane. Leron’s Freightliner finally came to a stop after colliding with another semi-truck with Tennessee plates.
According to court filings, numerous bystanders helped rescue toddler Eamon Goodrich from the smashed Honda Civic. But the child didn’t respond. The 9-year-old from New Albany was confirmed dead while his father was transported to the ICU after being cut from the Civic using the Jaws of Life. Eamon’s 5-year-old sister was also injured in the collision.
Troopers observed Leron pacing impatiently at the scene of the accident and told authorities, “I was coming up the ramp, traffic slowed down a little too much, I tried to slow down, but I ended up swerving.” I was going to slam on the brakes when my trailer went around me.
Documents describe how police obtained dashcam footage from Leron’s truck, but the camera was tilted too high to see any traffic. The camera did, however, record Leron’s speed as 62 mph just seconds before the crash. The semi with Tennessee plates came to a complete stop in backed-up construction traffic before Leron’s Freightliner collided with the pack of automobiles.
When authorities interrogated Leron, he stated that he had been driving semi-trucks for almost two years and was currently working as a subcontractor for the United States Postal Service, hauling mail. Leron had been on his way to Cincinnati after leaving South Dakota.
According to court filings, Leron told investigators that he thought traffic was clear and not crowded, and that he didn’t recall seeing any cars stopped ahead of him. However, Leron also informed police officers that he was in the left lane when the crash occurred, even though he was really in the middle lane. He also cited “slight traffic congestion” after previously stating that he had not noticed any.
Officers noticed Leron was traveling with a dog and carrying various food and drink items, as well as a laptop and two cell phones. Leron denied being inattentive while driving.
Further inquiry revealed that Leron was driving past his 11-hour limit without taking a rest. Leron was also supposedly required to have a co-driver owing to the length of the trip, but he was driving alone, informing authorities his co-driver was on vacation.
Court filings show that Eamon Goodrich’s father was hospitalized for 14 days. He had 31 stitches in his head and face, 11 fractured ribs, and a fracture in his hand that required surgery. He also had a “grade 1 aortic dissection” (a tear in the heart’s major blood artery), which caused internal hemorrhage. This accident resulted in partial paralysis of his right voice cord.
Eamon’s sister spent three days in Riley Children’s Hospital after suffering a neck fracture.
Eamon’s parents sued Leron, Solomon Bros LLC, and Foward A2B LLC in December, alleging that Leron was working for the companies at the time of the crash.
Reference: Florida semi driver charged in crash that killed 9-year-old boy