York, ME — December 8, 2025, Janice Goldsmith was killed in a truck accident at about 3:15 p.m. on the Maine Turnpike/Interstate 95.
Authorities said a 2022 Western Star semi-truck was stopped in the breakdown lane because of a mechanical issue when it was hit from behind by a southbound 2014 Toyota sedan. The truck driver had set out reflective warning triangles as required before the crash.
Toyota driver Janice Goldsmith, an 81-year-old Needham, MA resident, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near Exit 7, according to authorities.
No other injuries were reported.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the York County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When most people hear that a car rear-ended a stopped 18-wheeler in the breakdown lane, they probably assume the responsibility falls squarely on the car driver. But that conclusion may be premature, and misses some important questions that still haven’t been answered.
From what’s been reported, the truck had a mechanical issue and was stopped on the shoulder of I-95. The driver had apparently deployed reflective warning triangles as required, and yet the sedan still struck the rear of the trailer, killing the driver. That raises an immediate question: How did this happen if proper precautions were taken?
The fact that the truck was reportedly stopped in the breakdown lane makes this different from crashes where a truck is illegally parked. But it’s still critical to ask whether the warning triangles were set out properly, both in distance and visibility. It’s not enough to simply have warning triangles; federal regulations require they be placed at specific intervals (10 feet, 100 feet and 200 feet behind the truck) and visible to approaching traffic. If they were too close to the truck, or placed behind a curve or hill, they might not have provided any meaningful warning.
We also don’t yet know how much of the truck’s trailer was occupying the shoulder versus extending into a travel lane. Depending on how wide the breakdown lane is in that section of the turnpike, even a properly parked semi-truck might partially block traffic. If part of the trailer was sticking out, that changes the dynamic significantly.
Another possibility is that the sedan driver veered off course — due to distraction, fatigue or a medical event — but that’s not something anyone can know without examining physical evidence. Cell phone records, dash cam footage, ECM data from the truck and even roadway surveillance could all play a role in reconstructing the sequence of events.
In short, the fact that the truck had a legitimate mechanical issue doesn’t automatically clear it or its operator of responsibility. I’ve handled similar cases where even properly stopped trucks created dangerous conditions; because of how or where they stopped, or because warning signals weren’t truly effective. That’s why a full investigation is essential before drawing any conclusions.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s unclear whether the truck’s reflective triangles were properly placed and visible to traffic.
- The exact position of the truck, fully on the shoulder or partially in the travel lane, has not been clarified.
- Evidence like dash cams, black box data and cell phone records will be critical to understanding what caused the crash.
- A disabled truck in the breakdown lane may still pose a hazard depending on the circumstances.
- Responsibility should be based on evidence, not assumptions about which vehicle hit the other.
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