Truck driver followed too closely in deadly crash on I-465
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indiana State Police crash report places the blame on the driver of the semi truck involved in the crash that killed a 9-year-old boy in July.
According to the report, the semitruck driver, Dieuson Leron, 24, changed his story to police about what led up to the crash. Initially, he told police he was entering I-465 eastbound from the on-ramp, but he later told investigators he was already on the highway when he caused the crash.
Leron was driving a truck for Forward A2B Incorporated, a company based in Illinois. I-Team 8 contacted Forward A2B Incorporated for a statement, but they did not have any comments. According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) statistics, Forward A2B Incorporated has 15 trucks and 15 drivers working for them.
Over the past two years, Forward A2B Incorporated’s trucks have been involved in 10 crashes, not including the fatal crash on I-465. In that same time period, their trucks have been inspected 30 times. 50% of the time, the inspection forced that truck to be out of service, which is higher then the national average.
In the last two years, their drivers have been inspected 85 times. Six of those inspections forced a driver to be out of service, which is also above the national average.
The statistics from FMCSA did not say if Leron is one of the drivers who previously failed an inspection, but Indiana State Police said that Leron had not followed regulations for driving hours at the time of the crash.
I-Team 8 reached out to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles to see if Leron has any other major violations on his commercial drivers license, but they have not responded at the time this story was published.
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office said it’s investigating this case to determine if Leron will face charges.