Driver In Deadly Indiana Bus Crash Has History Of Violations
(CBS) --The man behind the wheel of a church van that crashed in Indiana, killing a young boy, has a history of driving problems. CBS 2's Derrick Blakley reports it's a list so long, it goes back decades.
Court records for the driver of the ill-fated Gary church bus reveal a long and shocking disregard for basic driving regulations that stretches back almost two decades.
The driver, 53-year-old Charles Goodman, was charged on January 29 with driving without a license. He was issued a suspension from driving from April to August 14, 2015, which means Goodman had no business being behind the wheel in an accident that left one dead and 11 injured.
One of the passengers, six-year-old Jacob Williams, was killed when his body was thrown from the bus. Williams sang in the choir at St. Jude Family Worship Center.
Indiana State Police say driver error caused the crash Tuesday on I-70, about 20 miles east of Indianapolis with 12 passengers on board headed for a youth convention in Dayton, Ohio.
But court records indicate this was hardly Goodman's first time behind the wheel without a license.
In Cook County, between 1996 and 2015, Goodman was charged 12 times with driving without a license or driving on a suspended license.
In Lake County, Indiana, between 1998 and 2009, five more charges for the same offense.
A contact at the home of a Goodman relative told CBS 2 family members are headed to a Greenfield, Indiana hospital to visit Goodman, who was also ejected from the bus in the accident.
Although Goodman is hospitalized, state police say his injuries are not life threatening.
Also, the bishop of that Gary church, Lois Hill, told our CBS station in Indianapolis, she was unaware that Goodman did not have a valid driver's license.