Basic Facts

Crash date: September 17, 2026

Crash location: I-24 mile marker 60, Antioch, Davidson County, TN

People involved:

  • German Machado Mengual, 40
  • Semi-truck Driver
  • Unidentified Drivers

Do authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash?: Unknown

Are there possible charges or citations?: Unknown

Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash?: Unknown

Accident Report

September 17, 2026, German Machado Mengual was killed and others were injured after a semi-truck accident around midnight on I-24.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol reported that the crash happened on westbound I-24 near Antioch, southeast of Nashville.

It appears that traffic slowed along the interstate due to a previous accident. 40-year-old German Machado Mengual reportedly slowed down due to that traffic. After doing so, reports say a semi-truck did not slow down in time, crashing with German Machado Mengual and multiple other vehicles.

Due to the accident, reports say German Machado Mengual sustained fatal injuries. Others involved in the crash had unspecified injuries. Authorities said charges may be pending. Investigations are ongoing.

How Did This Accident Occur?

No doubt, a lot of people have the same question on their mind that I do: Was the truck driver on their phone? Just to be clear up front, I don’t have any inside info here; I’m just reading the news like everyone else. That said, I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident investigations. A truck crashing into slowed or stopped traffic is often the result of someone taking their eyes off the road. That’s not likely to surprise anyone, but what often surprises people is how challenging it can be to actually get the cellphone data.

Let me give an example. I had a case a while ago where a truck driver clearly was distracted when he caused a crash. The trucking company, however, tried to deny that he owned a phone. That was obviously a lie to avoid responsibility, but it was our burden to prove otherwise. Here’s what we had to do.

Our team put together a long list of strategic questions with the purpose of getting the truck driver to trip over his own stories. After hours in a deposition, our strategy worked. The driver had no choice but to admit he indeed owned a phone and had it with him at the time of the crash. With that, we obtained a court order for the data. That’s how we proved the driver was actually watching pornography (yes, seriously) when the crash happened.

Now, I’m not saying that happened here or that the same blame-shifting tactics will be used. My point is that getting evidence is not always some automatic process that authorities handle on their own. In fact, even if authorities file charges here (which some reports suggest they might), that doesn’t guarantee that the victims and families affected by the crash will get the full story. So, it’s important to approach these situations with the understanding that it might take significant effort from independent professionals to get all the facts and to see there’s full accountability for what happened.

Did anyone happen to witness the crash or pass by the scene? Share your observations in the comments and let us know if the news left out anything important.

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