Investigators say the truck was heading southbound with a load of tobacco around 11 a.m. when it blew a tire. Roy James lost control, ran off the road and the truck flipped several times, killing 3-year-old Amadeus Credle.
"He wasn't restrained properly, according to the driver, in the front seat, and he was thrown to the rear of the vehicle during the collision," said Trooper Mark Fleming.
Troopers said the young boy was sitting in a booster seat with no child safety straps. James was not seriously hurt. Fleming said he has been charged with a child restraint violation.
The boy and his grandfather lived together in Chesapeake, Va. Authorities don't know how often James took his grandson on the road.
Troopers shut down both southbound lanes of I-95 and rerouted traffic for nearly three hours to clean everything up. Authorities said they do not believe speed was involved.
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