Anastasia Maiden Killed in Truck Accident near Quincy, IL

Update (February 2, 2026): Authorities have identified the person killed in this accident as Hannibal resident Anastasia M. Maiden, 19. She was a passenger in one of the vehicles.

Adams County, IL — January 29, 2026, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 3 p.m. on Interstate 172/Chicago-Kansas City Expressway.

Authorities said a semi-truck and an SUV were involved in a crash near mile marker 8 south of Quincy.

One person, whose name has not been made public yet, died in the crash, according to authorities, but it not clear how that person was involved in the accident.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Adams County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a crash between a semi-truck and a smaller vehicle leads to someone losing their life, most folks reading the headlines are left wondering: How exactly did this happen? Who’s responsible? And why aren’t we being told more?

At this point, we know a semi-truck and an SUV collided on Interstate 172 near Quincy, and someone died. What we don’t know, and what matters most, is how that collision occurred. Did one vehicle rear-end the other? Was there a lane change? Did either vehicle lose control? The report doesn’t say. And depending on those details, the legal questions and potential liabilities could look very different.

Take, for example, whether the truck was moving at highway speed or slowing down. Was it merging, turning or stopped altogether? If the SUV struck a stationary truck, it’s important to ask whether the truck was stopped in a proper place and clearly visible. On the other hand, if the truck hit the SUV, then questions shift toward driver behavior: Was the truck following too closely? Was the driver distracted? Fatigued?

This is why truck crash investigations can’t just rely on surface-level details. To get the full picture, investigators need to look at the evidence that’s not always visible to the public: engine control module data (which can show speed, braking and throttle use), dash cam footage (which can verify driving behavior) and the driver’s cell phone records (which can confirm or rule out distraction).

It’s also important to examine the trucking company’s role. Did they properly vet and train their driver? Have they pushed drivers to operate under unsafe conditions or excessive hours? These are the kinds of failures I’ve seen again and again in my cases; things that don’t make the police report but come to light when the evidence is thoroughly reviewed.

Until that work is done, any assumptions about fault are premature. But what’s clear is that someone lost their life on a highway where that shouldn’t happen, and getting to the bottom of why will require a serious and methodical investigation.

Key Takeaways:

• The exact cause of the crash hasn’t been disclosed, leaving open major questions about how the collision occurred.
• Critical evidence like black box data, dash cams and cell phone records will help determine whether the truck driver, SUV driver or both contributed to the crash.
• The trucking company’s hiring, training and oversight practices may also come under scrutiny, depending on what the evidence shows.
• Investigations into fatal truck crashes require far more than a police report. They demand a full accounting of what went wrong and who allowed it to happen.