Basic Facts
Crash date: 2-28-2026
Crash location: I-75 near Lima, Allen County, OH
People involved:
- Hurshel Gipson, 52
- Lima Woman, 45
- Minor, 11
- Mason Woman, 28
- Michigan Man, 58
- Cincinnati Man, 46
- Grand Rapids Woman, 66
- Florida Man, 53
Do Authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash?: Unknown
Did authorities recommend criminal charges?: Yes
Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash?: Unknown
Accident Report
February 26, 2026, Hurshel Gipson and his son were killed and three were injured after an 18-wheeler accident at 8:15 p.m. on I-75.
Details from the Ohio State Highway Patrol say the crash happened along northbound I-75 south of Lima near the exits for Cridersville and Fort Shawnee.
It appears that 52-year-old Hurshel Gipson and his 11-year-old son were passengers in a Buick driven by Gipson’s 45-year-old wife. They were in stopped traffic along with a Chevy Traverse, a Ford F-150, a Mazda CX-9, and an 18-wheeler. While waiting in the traffic, authorities say that another approaching 18-wheeler driven by a Boynton Beach, Florida, man crashed into the line of vehicles.
Due to the collision, both Hurshel Gipson and his son were killed. Gipson’s wife and the driver of the Chevy reportedly had serious injuries. Another one of the drivers had apparently non-critical injuries.
Authorities said that they filed charges against the Florida truck driver for alleged negligent homicide, vehicular manslaughter, and failure to maintain an assured clear distance. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Authorities have yet to report any pending charges or citations.
How Did This Accident Occur?
Thinking back across hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases I’ve handled, the most common reason a truck driver crashed into stopped or slowed traffic was distraction. It likely won’t surprise people to know most of that distraction was caused by a cell phone. Even if that is what happened here (which has yet to be confirmed), that wouldn’t necessarily make things open-and-shut for the victims and families. Let me explain.
A common mistake I see from people after serious truck wrecks like this is they think accountability is going to be automatic. But even if something like cellphone use leads to a fatal truck accident, it can take extensive independent investigations to actually get the victims and families a just resolution. The main reason for that is there are competing interests whose main goal is to avoid responsibility at all costs. It’s important for families to have the tools to anticipate and overcome those efforts.
For example, I handled a truck accident case not long ago where it was clear a truck driver had been on their phone. However, the trucking company claimed the driver didn’t own a cellphone. That was clearly a bald-faced lie from a company just trying to avoid responsibility, but it was our burden to prove otherwise. So, we sat the truck driver down for a lengthy deposition. Thanks to some strategic questioning, we got him to trip over his own stories and admit that he did in fact have a cellphone with him at the time of the crash. With that, we got a court order for the phone records, and we were able to prove the driver was watching adult videos (yes, really) when the crash happened.
Again, I’m not saying that happened here. However, that case is an example of a seemingly open-and-shut truck accident case of a distracted truck driver. That “open-and-shut case” required a team of experienced professionals putting together a plan and utilizing legal tools to finally ensure there was full accountability. That’s not the exception—that’s how most truck accidents go.
To be clear, there are countless possible factors which could have caused this crash. Regardless of what happened here, though, finding out what happened is just the tip of the iceberg. Victims and families also need to know what possible paths lie ahead for them and what tools and evidence they will need to navigate that legal maze.
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