North Attleborough, MA — November 27, 2025, Carlos Chavez Martinez was killed in a truck accident at about 2:30 a.m. on Interstate 95.
Authorities said a southbound Audi sedan crashed into a semi-truck that was parked in a rest area near mile marker 9.2.
Audi driver Carlos Chavez Martinez, 28, of Providence, RI, died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to authorities.
The truck driver was not hurt, authorities said.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Bristol County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When someone crashes into a parked 18-wheeler, the first question I ask is: Why was the truck there in the first place? That may sound simple, but it goes to the heart of whether the crash was truly unavoidable, or whether it was the result of poor choices that created a dangerous situation.
In this case, authorities say the truck was parked in a rest area off I-95 when a southbound sedan hit it around 2:30 in the morning. But the reports don’t tell us whether the truck was legally parked, whether its lights or hazard signals were on or whether it was positioned in a way that made it hard to see. All of those are unanswered questions, and they matter a great deal.
Most people assume rest areas are always safe places for trucks to stop, but that’s not necessarily true. I’ve handled cases where trucks were technically inside a rest area, but parked in unauthorized or unsafe spots, like along entrance ramps, exit lanes or in dark corners where other drivers wouldn’t reasonably expect a full-size tractor-trailer to be. In one case, a truck was legally parked, but its lights were off and there were no reflective markings on the trailer. That kind of oversight can be deadly, especially at night.
The key to figuring out what happened here is evidence. Were there any nearby cameras, either from the rest stop itself or the truck’s own dash cam? Did the semi have reflective markings, functioning lights and underride protection? Did the driver follow company policy on where and how to park? And what about the black box data: does it show when and how the truck came to a stop?
On the other side of the equation, we don’t know what was happening inside the Audi in the moments leading up to the crash. Was the driver drowsy, distracted or confused by unclear signage? Again, we can’t assume either way, but I’ve seen firsthand how a single bad decision by a trucking company can set a fatal chain of events in motion.
The bottom line is this: no one can understand who’s responsible without a full investigation that looks at how and why the truck ended up in that location, what condition it was in and whether proper safety steps were followed. That’s the only way to separate true accidents from preventable ones.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not clear whether the truck was legally and safely parked within the rest area.
- Evidence like dash cams, ECM data and lighting/reflective markings will be essential to understanding the truck’s visibility.
- The location and positioning of a parked truck can create hazards, even in designated rest areas.
- Both the truck driver’s and the car driver’s actions must be independently verified before assigning blame.
- Only a thorough investigation can determine whether this was a tragic accident or the result of preventable mistakes.
