Driver in Michigan crash had lost license

DETROIT, July 10 (UPI) -- The 19-year-old driver of a car struck by a train in Michigan, killing five people, had had his driver's license suspended repeatedly, authorities say.

The Detroit News said Friday that police had suspended Dan Broughton's driver's license three times since January, including a suspension that began the day before Thursday's accident. The suspensions were in relation to a number of traffic violations ranging from disobeying a stop sign to speeding.

Broughton was driving the black Ford Fusion that witnesses said was struck by an oncoming Amtrak passenger train as the car drove around a lowered railroad crossing gate Thursday afternoon, the News said.

Broughton was killed in the collision in Canton Township, Mich., along with 14-year-old Jessica Sadler; Sadler's 18-year-old boyfriend, Eddie Gross; Terrance Harris, 21; and brother Sean Harris, 18.

The most recent license suspension against Broughton began Wednesday, the Detroit News said.

"The issue is the driver is responsible for the people in his car," Gerald Gaines, Jessica Sadler's grandfather, said. "This driver took four lives plus his own. This should never have happened."