New Castle County, DE — November 15, 2025, Ashley Henry was killed in a truck accident at about 1 a.m. on North DuPont Highway/U.S. Route 13.
Authorities said a northbound Lexus sedan collided with a Kenworth semi-truck near Christiana Road, causing the smaller vehicle to hit a traffic sign after spinning across the concrete median.
Lexus passenger Ashley Henry, 36, of New Castle was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near New Castle, according to authorities.
The Lexus driver, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, was charged with vehicular homicide after police noticed signs of intoxication, authorities said.
The truck driver was not hurt, according to authorities.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the New Castle County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear that someone lost their life in a crash involving an intoxicated driver, they’re often quick to assume the full story is already known. And in some cases, it is. But when a passenger dies in a wreck involving both an impaired driver and a semi-truck, the next question has to be: What role, if any, did the truck play?
Authorities say the driver of a Lexus collided with a Kenworth semi, spun across the median and hit a traffic sign. The passenger didn’t survive. The driver was charged with vehicular homicide after police reportedly found signs of intoxication. But that still leaves open a key question: How exactly did the crash happen?
The reports don’t say whether the truck was stopped or moving. They don’t say who struck whom or how the vehicles were positioned when they collided. That kind of information matters a lot when trying to understand who is legally responsible and to what degree.
For example, was the truck attempting a turn across traffic? Was it merging into the Lexus’s lane? Or was the Lexus driver entirely at fault, veering into the truck’s path? Depending on the answers, the legal analysis shifts dramatically.
One way to get clarity is through the semi’s onboard technology. A properly preserved engine control module (the truck’s “black box”) can show the truck’s speed, braking and throttle activity leading up to the crash. In-cab cameras, if installed, can help confirm what the driver was doing and whether they had time to react. Cell phone records and dash cam footage can also help determine whether the truck driver was distracted, fatigued or otherwise impaired.
Even if the Lexus driver ends up being held criminally responsible, that doesn’t mean there’s no civil liability to explore. I’ve handled cases where a truck driver did something wrong that didn’t rise to the level of a criminal offense, but still exposed their employer to significant legal consequences. That’s why the investigation can’t stop with the police report. It has to dig deeper into hiring records, safety procedures and truck maintenance to see whether anything else contributed to what happened.
Until that work is done, we’re left with a lot of unanswered questions. The family of the passenger, and the public, deserve to know whether this was simply one person’s mistake or whether there were multiple points of failure that led to a preventable death.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not clear from reports whether the semi-truck was moving or stopped at the time of the crash.
- Black box data, dash cams and phone records could help clarify the truck driver’s actions.
- Criminal charges against the Lexus driver don’t automatically absolve the truck or its operator.
- Independent investigation is essential to determine all possible contributing factors.
- Accountability should be based on evidence, not assumptions.
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