Grant County, IN — October 10, 2024, Noah Yoder was killed following a semi-truck accident at around 2:00 p.m. along Interstate 69.
Authorities said in preliminary statements that the crash happened near Van Buren, north of State Road 18.
According to officials, 81-year-old Noah Yoder of Hicksville, Ohio, was in a vehicle on northbound lanes of the interstate. In a series of events unclear, a semi-truck crashed into the back of Yoder’s vehicle. As a result of the collision, Yoder was killed. There were no other reported injuries. Right now, the cause of the accident remains unconfirmed.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
It’s important to keep in mind that there is no automatic fault for rear-end collisions, despite what some folks may believe. That said, it is usually true that a crash like this happens because the rear vehicle driver did something wrong—usually distraction, speeding, or following too closely. That said, recognizing that this isn’t always true helps to reinforce the importance of gathering clear, convincing evidence. In the event this was a typical rear-end collision caused by driver negligence, it’s important there’s as little room as possible for a wrongdoer to shift the blame.
For example, I handled a case a while back involving similar circumstances. In their defense, the trucking company involved claimed the victim’s vehicle was disabled in the roadway and not clearly visible, so their driver simply couldn’t avoid the collision. Through our investigations, though, we were able to pull various crucial pieces of evidence from the truck, including video footage from the truck’s dash cam and a camera inside the cabin. That revealed a much more serious reality the trucking company was hoping would slip through the cracks unnoticed.
From the dash cam, it was clear that the victim’s vehicle had its emergency lights on, and it was clearly visible nearly three-quarters of a mile down the road. The truck driver had plenty of time to slow down or move over to avoid the collision. Instead, that driver was too busy watching shows on a tablet to look up at the road. By the time he finally did, it was already too late. It was only after securing this and other vital details that the victim’s loved ones were able to tell their side of the story and get a just resolution.
Regardless of how simple a truck accident may seem, they almost always involve unique challenges when handled properly. I’ve handled hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases, and it’s best to treat all of them as though something unusual or complex may have happened. The worst case scenario is independent investigations can simply rule out less common factors (such as defects or medical conditions) so there’s no room for doubt. The best case scenario is investigations catch something authorities overlooked, and the victims and families involved are able to move forward confident there aren’t any unanswered questions. Right now, I see no reason why this crash would be an exception to that.
