INDIANAPOLIS – The truck driver involved in a crash that killed a 9-year-old boy should not have been behind the wheel at the time, according to a vehicle inspection report obtained by WRTV Investigates.

The accident occurred on July 25 on I-465 near Old US 31 on the south side of Indianapolis.

Nine-year-old Eamon Goodrich of New Albany was pronounced dead at the scene. His funeral was held on August 17.

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Eamon’s father and little sister were both injured in the accident.

WRTV Investigates filed a public records request and received a five-page vehicle investigation report.

Indiana State Police conducted an inspection after the fatal crash and found that the truck driver had been on the road longer than scheduled and beyond his allotted work hours for the day, records show.

The driver, who works for Forward A2B Inc. in Bensenville, Illinois, was reportedly traveling from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to Cincinnati.

Indiana State Police determined that the driver had violated the hours-of-service law, which is designed to keep fatigued drivers off the road.

In particular, the report shows that the driver was driving before his 11th birthday.^th hour drive, but “drove another 23 minutes.”

A preliminary accident report indicates that the driver was driving through a construction zone at high speed when he struck the Goodrich family’s vehicle.

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“Believe it or not, the only reason those regulations were put in place in 1933 was because drivers were driving while fatigued,” said James Lewis, a traffic safety expert with a company called Evidence Solutions. “Once you reach the twilight of your day, you become dangerous. So if you’re driving in the 8th, 9th or 10th hour of your day, you’re 50 percent more dangerous than when you’re fresh out of bed.”

James Lewis

According to the report, state police also filed charges against the driver and his company for another working hour violation because the driver failed to confirm the accuracy of his logbook.

Inspectors also identified mechanical problems that existed before the accident, including:

• a leak in the inner wheel seal
• a crack in the tank of the air brake system
• a problem with the drum brake on the driver’s side that is not working properly

Indiana State Police determined that the driver should have noticed these problems, such as non-functioning brakes, during a pre-trip inspection.

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Inspectors found a violation because the deadlines for annual inspections had expired, even though one should be carried out every year.

According to the report, the last inspection date they could find was March 10, 2023.

WRTV Investigates spoke with Lt. Ty Utterback of the Indiana State Police Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division about whether the braking problems played a role in the fatal crash.

“The braking problems did not contribute to the accident,” Utterback said.

The report cites “speeding” as the main cause and “tailing” as a contributing factor.

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In terms of consequences for the driver and the transport company, these inspection violations are administrative offenses similar to a traffic ticket.

However, Utterback said the vehicle inspection report and resulting violations are part of the criminal investigation into the accident.

“It will play a big role in this case,” Utterback said.

WRTV Investigates has called Forward A2B Inc. several times, but we still have not been able to speak to anyone about the inspection report.

We also sent an email and received no response.

WRTV is not naming the truck driver because no criminal charges have been filed against him.

According to records, the Bensenville, Illinois-based trucking company has 150 vehicles and 145 drivers.

WRTV Investigates reviewed Forward A2B Inc.’s safety record on the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration website.

Forward A2B Inc was cited 26 Over the past two years, he has been arrested for unsafe driving – violations such as distracted driving, speeding and reckless driving.