DETROIT — Toxicology tests will be performed on all the young people killed in Thursday's train crash in Canton Township, Mich., outside of Detroit, with special attention to the driver, according to investigators.
Investigators are looking at all aspects of the crash, trying to determine what led Dan Broughton, 19, to drive around flashing lights and lowered gates at the Hannan Road crossing.
"You look at the pictures and five people's lives taken," Sgt. Mark Gajeski of the Canton Township Police said this morning. "A very poor decision made in an instant and that's how five people lost their lives."
Records from the Michigan Department of State, meantime, show Broughton had a number of traffic violations, including speeding and disobeying a stop sign in the Detroit enclave of Highland Park on Jan. 7. His failure to show a driver's license April 1 in Woodhaven led a judge to suspend his license for one month on June 17 — a suspension that began Wednesday.
Also killed were 14-year-old Jessica Sadler, who lived blocks from the accident; her boyfriend, 18-year-old Eddie Gross of Taylor; 19-year-old Sean Harris from the Detroit area, and his 21-year-old brother, Terrence Harris of Stafford, Va. Broughton's car was registered in Woodhaven, but he had ties to the Taylor area, Gajeski said.
Albert Samuels, chief investigator for the Wayne County Medical Examiner's office, said preliminary toxicology screenings may be available as soon as today, but definitive test results could take as long as six to 12 weeks. He said all five of the young people will undergo testing, with focus on the driver.
All of the teens' families are expected at the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office today for a final identification, he said.
