San Marcos, TX — January 25, 2026, an Illinois woman was injured in a truck accident just after 10:30 a.m. on Interstate 35/Monarch Highway.
A preliminary accident report indicates that a northbound 2021 Freightliner semi-truck lost control on the icy highway and crashed into a 2017 Ram 1500 near Posey Road, causing the truck to jackknife.
A passenger in the pickup, a 44-year-old woman from Hinckley, IL, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. Two teen boys suffered minor injuries, while the driver was not hurt.
The truck driver was not injured either, the report states.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Hays County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people read about a crash like this, the first questions are simple and fair: How did a professional driver lose control? Was this really unavoidable? And are we getting the full explanation? Saying the road was icy may describe the conditions, but it doesn’t explain what actually caused the truck to jackknife.
At this point, we’re told the semi-truck lost control on Interstate 35 and hit a pickup, but that leaves a lot unanswered. It’s not clear how fast the truck was traveling, whether the driver was braking or accelerating or how long the driver had to react to the road conditions. Ice doesn’t cause a jackknife by itself. A jackknife happens when driver inputs, vehicle response and road conditions all come together in the wrong way.
One of the first things that should be examined is the truck’s electronic data. The engine control module can show speed, throttle position, braking and steering inputs in the moments before the crash. That information matters because a fully loaded semi behaves very differently on ice than a passenger vehicle. If the truck was traveling too fast for conditions or braking aggressively, that could explain the loss of control. Without that data, we’re guessing.
It’s also not clear whether any driver-assist systems or in-cab cameras were present and operating. If they were, they may show whether the driver anticipated the icy conditions or reacted too late. Cell phone records can also matter. Even a brief distraction on a slick roadway can be enough to turn a manageable situation into a jackknife.
Another unanswered question is what the trucking company knew before putting this driver and truck on the road. Was the driver trained for winter conditions? Were there policies about reducing speed or pulling off the road during icy weather? Those are not abstract issues. In my experience, crashes blamed on “weather” often turn out to involve decisions that could have been avoided with proper judgment and oversight.
Right now, the public has only a preliminary explanation. That’s normal early on, but it shouldn’t be the end of the inquiry. The only way to understand why multiple people were injured here is to let the evidence tell the story — vehicle data, video, records and company practices — not assumptions.
Key Takeaways
- Ice alone doesn’t explain a jackknife; driver actions and vehicle data matter.
- Truck black box data can show speed, braking, and control inputs before the crash.
- It’s not yet clear whether distraction, training or company policies played a role.
- Early crash reports are incomplete; accountability depends on a full investigation.
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