Florida semi driver charged in crash that killed 9-year-old boy

INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly 7 months to the day after 9-year-old Eamon Goodrich was killed by a semi colliding into the back of his father’s Honda Civic, the truck driver deemed responsible by a state police investigation has been charged with multiple felonies.

On Thursday, Dieuson Leron of Jupiter, Florida, was officially charged with reckless homicide, a Level 5 felony, and two counts of criminal recklessness, a Level 6 felony. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

Previous reports detail how state police found Leron was at fault in the deadly crash for “following too closely” behind the family’s Honda Civic on Interstate 465 and driving at an “unsafe speed.”

The collision occurred around 7:30 a.m. in the middle lane of I-465 on July 25, 2024. Leron was driving a red 2018 Freightliner bearing Illinois plates and failed to stop for backed-up construction traffic.

Leron rear-ended the Goodrich family Honda Civic so forcibly it caused multiple vehicles to slam into one another. Leron also lost control of his semi and his trailer jackknifed into the left lane. Leron’s Freightliner at last came to a stop after slamming into another semi-truck with Tennessee plates.

Court documents reveal several bystanders helped pull young Eamon Goodrich from the crushed Honda Civic. But the child wasn’t responsive. The 9-year-old from New Albany would end up being pronounced dead while his father was rushed to the ICU after being cut from the Civic with the Jaws of Life. Eamon’s 5-year-old sister was also injured in the crash.

Troopers noted Leron was pacing anxiously at the scene of the crash and told police, “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 about to slam on the brakes and my trailer went around me.”

Documents detail how police acquired dashcam footage from Leron’s truck, but the camera was angled too high to show any traffic. The camera did list Leron’s speed, however, as 62 mph just seconds before the collision. It was noted that the semi with Tennessee plates was at a complete stop in backed-up construction traffic before Leron’s Freightliner crashed into the pack of vehicles.

When police interviewed Leron, he told investigators he’d been driving semi-trucks for roughly two years and currently worked as a subcontractor for the United States Postal Service hauling mail. Leron had been on his way to Cincinnati after departing South Dakota.

According to court documents, Leron told investigators he had believed traffic was clear and not congested and didn’t recall seeing traffic stopped in front of him. But Leron also told police officers he was in the left lane at the time of the collision when he’d actually been in the middle lane. He also mentioned recalling “slight congestion of traffic” after previously saying he didn’t notice any.

Officers noted Leron was traveling with a dog and had several food and drink items out along with a laptop and two cell phones. Leron denied being distracted while driving, however.

Further investigation uncovered that Leron was driving beyond his 11-hour driving limit without stopping to take a break. Leron was also allegedly supposed to have a co-driver due to the length of the trip but was driving without one, telling police his co-driver was on vacation.

Court documents reveal that Eamon Goodrich’s father was hospitalized for 14 days. He received 31 stitches to his head and face and was treated for 11 broken ribs and a fracture in his hand that required surgery. He also suffered “grade 1 aortic dissection” — a tear in the main blood artery in the heart — which caused internal bleeding. He suffered partial paralysis in his right vocal cord due to this injury.

Eamon’s sister was in Riley Children’s Hospital for three days and suffered a fracture in her neck.

In December, Eamon’s parents filed a lawsuit against Leron, Solomon Bros LLC and Foward A2B LLC — the companies Leron allegedly worked for at the time of the crash.

If convicted of a Level 5 felony, Leron could face up to 6 years in prison.