St. Croix County, WI — July 25, 2025, Ashlie Rosen was killed and another person was injured in a truck accident at about 11:20 a.m. in the 1900 block of County Trunk Highway G.
Authorities said a westbound pickup collided with an eastbound semi-truck loaded with corn in Erin Prairie Township. The impact caused the truck to tip over.
Pickup driver Ashlie Rosen, 42, was flown to an area hospital, where she died August 1, according to authorities.
The truck driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash near New Richmond, authorities said.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the St. Croix County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a collision between a pickup and a loaded semi-truck results in a fatality, the natural question people ask is: How exactly did this happen? Right now, the reports only tell us that a pickup and a semi-truck hauling corn collided head-on, and the truck tipped over. But that leaves some very important gaps in our understanding.
Was either vehicle drifting out of its lane? Did one of them cross the center line? Was the truck tipping a result of the crash, or a cause of it? Until those questions are answered with actual evidence, we’re left guessing about the most basic facts of the collision.
At a minimum, there needs to be a full investigation into what each driver was doing in the moments leading up to the crash. That means looking at engine control module data (the truck’s “black box”), checking for dash cam footage and pulling the truck driver’s cell phone records. If the truck was outfitted with in-cab cameras, as many are now, those could be invaluable in showing whether the driver was distracted, fatigued or otherwise unfit to be behind the wheel at that time.
But the analysis shouldn’t stop with what happened at the scene. In my experience, the root cause of these crashes often traces back to poor hiring and oversight at the company level. I’ve handled cases where trucking companies hired drivers with red-flag histories, ran barely-there road tests or ignored warning signs in a driver’s record. When that happens, the responsibility goes beyond the driver; it falls squarely on the people who put them on the road.
As for the cargo, the report mentions that the semi-truck was loaded with corn and tipped over after the crash. That detail raises another set of questions: Was the corn loaded properly? Could load-shifting have contributed to the tipover or made the vehicle harder to control? When cargo isn’t secured correctly, it doesn’t just affect safety after the crash; it can cause the crash in the first place. I’ve handled cases where a simple oversight in how a truck was loaded led to catastrophic results.
Without a detailed investigation, all we have is a skeleton outline of a deadly crash. To find out what really happened, and who may be responsible, we need the evidence that tells the full story.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not clear from current reports what caused the collision, whether the pickup or the semi crossed the center line.
- Crucial evidence like ECM data, in-cab video and cell phone records should be reviewed to understand what each driver was doing.
- Cargo loading practices may be relevant, especially if shifting corn contributed to the semi tipping over.
- Responsibility may extend beyond the truck driver to the company that trained, hired or supervised him.
- A proper investigation is essential to ensure that the right parties are held accountable.
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