New details about crash that killed 7 in
indiana when a truck rear-ended a jeep cherokee. Trucking company flagged for
unsafe driving
INDIANAPOLIS - The Call 6 Investigators have uncovered
new information about a truck driver and trucking company involved in a fiery
Interstate 65 crash that left a mother and father without seven of their family
members.
The crash happened in August 2013 in Jasper County,
between Indianapolis and Chicago, when the family was driving a Jeep Cherokee
from a birthday party in Indianapolis home to Merrillville. Their vehicle was
struck when they stopped for an upcoming construction zone.
The deceased:
Amado Mangual, 49, Merrillville
Lindsey Williams, 27, Merrillville
Yazmin Goldman, 5, Merrillville
Arielle Goldman, 3, Merrillville
Jamin Osborne, 5, Atlanta, Georgia
Jasmin Osborne, 7, Atlanta, Georgia
Yvette Williams, 35, Atlanta, Georgia
According to the crash report, Howard Stratton, of
Michigan, was driving 65 mph in the center lane with his semi-truck's cruise
control activated when "traffic suddenly stopped."
The crash report said Stratton "attempted to
brake," but the Jeep burst into flames on impact, killing all seven
people.
Judith Williams of Merrillville and her ex-husband,
Gerald Williams, of Georgia, want justice for their family members and criminal
charges filed against Stratton .
"They didn't have a chance under God's sun to
survive that," said Gerald Williams. “It’s been so hard. For him not
to be charged, or cited, or given a ticket, that’s crazy to me.”
The police investigation showed Stratton was not
speeding, and he tested negative for drugs or alcohol.
Public records newly obtained by the Call 6
Investigators show Stratton was ticketed for speeding in 2007, 2009, and 2011 –
two of them while in a commercial vehicle.
Records also show weeks before the deadly Indiana crash,
an officer ticketed Stratton in July 2013 for passing a weigh station, and it
was noted his logbook showing how long Stratton had been awake and driving was
not current.
Federal records show Griffin Transportation, based in
Grand Rapids, was cited five times in July 2013 for failing to keep those
records current, or its drivers driving too long without resting.
Federal data also shows Griffin Transportation had 25
Hours of Service violations in the last two years, regulations meant to keep
tired drivers off the roads.
The company’s Unsafe Driving record with the feds is on
“alert” status, meaning the company is performing worse than most of their
peers in that category.
“That is an area of concern, their unsafe driving,” said
Steve Keppler, Executive Director of the non-profit Commercial Vehicle Safety
Alliance. “They’re in alert status, and that’s something that is of concern.
They’re in the 70th percentile. That means 70 percent of the companies that are
like them are better than them.”
Federal records show Griffin Transportation’s overall
performance is better than the national average when it comes to drivers and
vehicles being placed out-of-service during an inspection.
Rich Holmes, counsel for Griffin Transportation, said
enforcement agency inspections have found Griffin’s vehicles and drivers to be
“far superior to the national average in the industry.”
“In fact in ‘driver fitness’ they are one of the finest
Motor Carriers in the U.S,” said Holmes in an email to Kenney. “In regards to
‘driver fitness’ the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration uses a scale
of 0 (the best possible) to 100 (the worst possible). According to the FMCSA
Griffin’s ‘Driver Fitness’ has averaged less than “1” over the last 24 months
of record keeping. That is a nearly perfect score.”
Howard Stratton has not worked at Griffin Transportation
since the crash, and it’s unclear if he’s still driving a semi-tractor trailer.
Kenney was unable to reach Stratton for comment.
Jasper County prosecutor Christine Haskell released a
statement last year saying the office is not filing criminal charges against
Stratton.
“Negligent behavior alone is not enough to obtain a
criminal conviction,” read the prosecutor’s statement. “Automobile
accidents caused by negligent behavior fall outside the realm of criminal
prosecution."
The Call 6 Investigators filed a public records request
on December 8 for the files reviewed by the prosecutor, but Kenney has yet to
receive the information.
“To see this guy was traveling at highway speeds with
traffic stopped in front of him, that’s negligence all day long,” said
Williams.
Gerald Williams is a former truck driver of 20 years,
and is familiar with the stretch of I-65 where his family was killed.
“It’s sickening to know a brother trucker took my
family,” said Williams. “He was doing something irresponsible.
Something had to happen to make him take his eyes off the road.”
He hopes 2015 will be the year prosecutors charge
Stratton, and the year