Update (August 7, 2025): Authorities have identified the driver killed in this accident at Jacob Birka, 29, of Evansville.
Gibson County, IN — August 4, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 7:50 p.m. on State Road 68 east of Haubstadt.
Authorities said a Buick Lacrosse was crossing on County Road 250 East when it was hit by a Freightliner semi-truck.
The Buick driver, whose name has not been made public yet, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.
No other injuries were reported.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Gibson County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear about a deadly crash between a passenger car and an 18-wheeler, the first question on their minds is usually: How could this happen? That’s exactly the question we should be asking after this collision in Gibson County, where a semi reportedly hit a Buick Lacrosse as it crossed State Road 68.
At this point, the public details are sparse. We know the car was crossing on County Road 250 East, and we know it was hit by a Freightliner. What’s not clear is how that collision occurred. Was the truck speeding? Was the Buick trying to beat the truck across the road? Did either driver ignore a stop sign or fail to yield? Without that information, it’s impossible to draw any reliable conclusions about fault.
One way to start answering those questions is by examining the available evidence. Most commercial trucks these days are equipped with engine control modules (ECMs), also known as “black boxes,” that record a wealth of data in the moments before a crash: speed, braking, throttle use and more. If the truck had an in-cab camera system, even better. Those recordings can show whether the truck driver was attentive, distracted or trying to avoid the collision.
Cell phone records could also play a role. Was the truck driver using a phone at the time? If the company uses electronic logging devices, they might also tell us whether the driver was over his hours or fatigued. All of this matters because it goes to the heart of whether the crash was truly unavoidable, or the result of someone’s choices.
It’s also worth examining the trucking company’s policies and practices. Was the driver properly trained? Did the company perform a meaningful background check before hiring him? In one case I handled, a trucking company gave a new hire a 20-minute road test and called that a complete evaluation, even though the driver had already been fired from several other jobs. Not surprisingly, she later caused a crash that never should have happened.
I bring that up not to point fingers prematurely, but to show how many layers there are to getting the full story. It’s not just about who was behind the wheel. It’s about what systems were, or weren’t, in place to prevent something like this from happening in the first place.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not yet clear how the crash occurred or who had the right of way.
- Black box data, dash cams and phone records could help clarify the truck driver’s actions.
- The trucking company’s hiring and training practices may be relevant depending on what’s found.
- Determining fault requires thorough investigation, not just assumptions based on who survived.
- The goal is to make sure the right party is held accountable, not just the most obvious one.
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