1 Injured in Truck Accident on I-94 in Gary, IN

Gary, IN — February 10, 2026, one person was injured in a truck accident at about 7:40 a.m. on the Borman Expressway/Interstate 80-94.

Authorities said a westbound GMC Yukon was passing other vehicles on the right shoulder near the Burr Street exit when it crashed into a disabled 2016 Freightliner semi-truck. The truck had been parked in the shoulder with emergency warning triangles because of a mechanical problem.

The GMC driver, whose name has not been made public yet, was flown to a Chicago hospital with life-threatening injuries after the crash, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Lake County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people read about a crash like this, their first questions are simple: How does something like this happen on the shoulder of a highway? Was the truck properly parked? And is the full story being told?

According to authorities, a GMC Yukon was driving westbound on I-80/94 and passing traffic on the right shoulder when it struck a disabled Freightliner semi that had been parked there because of a mechanical problem. We’re told the truck had emergency warning triangles set out. The SUV driver was seriously injured. That’s the outline. But the outline leaves a lot unanswered.

For starters, it’s not clear how long the semi had been disabled. Had it just broken down moments earlier, or had it been sitting there for an extended period of time? That matters. Federal rules require specific placement of warning triangles within a certain timeframe. Whether those rules were followed isn’t something we know yet.

We also don’t yet know exactly where on the shoulder the truck was positioned. Was it fully off the roadway? Was any part of the trailer extending into the travel lane? On busy corridors like the Borman Expressway, even a small encroachment into the lane can create a serious hazard. Photographs, scene measurements and crash reconstruction would help answer that.

Then there’s the Yukon. Authorities say it was passing traffic on the right shoulder. That raises obvious questions about why the driver chose to use the shoulder. Was traffic stopped or crawling? Was the driver attempting to exit at Burr Street? Was there a sudden emergency in the travel lanes that pushed the SUV onto the shoulder? We don’t yet know. Depending on what prompted that maneuver, different questions arise about responsibility.

From an investigative standpoint, this case will likely turn on evidence, not assumptions.

The Freightliner’s engine control module (its “black box”) can show when the truck slowed, when it stopped and whether its hazard lights were activated. If the truck had been moving shortly before impact, that would raise a different set of questions than if it had been stationary for a long time.

Investigators should also examine maintenance records. What was the mechanical problem? Was it sudden and unavoidable, or was it a known issue that should have been addressed before the truck was on the road? If a preventable maintenance failure led to the breakdown, that could shift part of the focus to the trucking company’s upkeep practices.

On the SUV side, data from the vehicle may show speed, braking and steering input in the seconds before impact. Cell phone records could determine whether distraction played a role. In-cab cameras on the semi, if equipped, may show the position of the truck and surrounding traffic before the crash.

In my experience, shoulder crashes are rarely as simple as “one driver made a bad choice.” Sometimes the evidence shows the disabled truck was positioned safely and clearly marked. Other times, it reveals that warning devices weren’t placed correctly, or that a truck wasn’t as far off the roadway as it should have been. Until that evidence is preserved and reviewed, drawing conclusions is premature.

The public report gives us the basic sequence of events. What it doesn’t give us is the data. And in truck cases, the data is often what tells the real story.

Key Takeaways

• It’s not yet clear how long the semi was disabled or whether all required warning measures were properly in place.
• The exact position of the truck on the shoulder could significantly affect how responsibility is evaluated.
• The reason the SUV was traveling on the shoulder remains an important unanswered question.
• Black box data, maintenance records and electronic evidence will be critical to understanding what really happened.