INDIANAPOLIS — A state police investigation lays blame at a semi driver's feet for causing a crash in a construction zone that killed a 9-year-old boy.
According to the police findings, an Indianapolis semi-driver was "following too closely" and driving at an "unsafe speed" on Interstate 465 when he collided with a New Albany family's vehicle.
In the wake of the crash, 9-year-old Eamon Goodrich would be pronounced dead. Goodrich's father would be sent to the ICU and Goodrich's 5-year-old sister would also be injured, though she is expected to be okay.
Previous stories detail the crash that occurred near U.S. 31 on 465 on the city's south side. Police said the semi driver failed to slow down while approaching a construction zone with backed-up traffic just before 5:30 p.m.
In the crash report, the semi driver told police that "traffic slowed down too much" causing him to swerve his semi to avoid hitting a car and slamming on his brakes. This caused his trailer to jackknife.
The crash report also reveals that the semi-driver gave two different accounts of the crash, first saying he was entering 465 from an eastbound ramp and then changing his story and saying he was already on 465 driving eastbound.
Police said alcohol and/or drugs weren't a factor in the crash but did say the semi-driver had already been over his allotted driving hours for the day.
Drivers can be cited for being over hours.
No criminal charges have been filed against the semi-driver at this time.
WDRB spoke with Eamon Goodrich's family church in Jeffersonville who started a fund for the Goodrich family. More than $10,000 has already been raised.
"It hurts deeply," senior minister Jeremy Skaggs. "Anytime there's loss of innocent life, it hurts. They are really just good, kind, generous, loving people, and everyone who knows them hurts because they care about them so much."