Dade County, GA — December 10, 2025, one person was killed and another was injured in a truck accident at about 4:30 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 24.

Authorities said a Chevrolet Savana van head heading the wrong way when it collided with an eastbound semi-truck.

The van driver, whose name has not been made public yet, died in the crash near the Tennessee border, according to authorities.

The truck driver was hospitalized with serious injuries after the crash, authorities said.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When folks hear that a van was going the wrong way and crashed into an 18-wheeler, the first reaction is usually to place blame squarely on the van driver. And to be fair, that may turn out to be correct. But before we jump to conclusions, we have to ask a basic legal question: How did the van end up going the wrong way on the interstate in the first place?

That’s not a detail we can just gloss over. Was the driver disoriented? Were there missing or confusing road signs near an on-ramp? Was the van intentionally driving the wrong way or did something else lead to this? Right now, none of that is clear, and that matters. It’s not enough to know that a crash happened; we need to know why it happened, and that only comes through a real investigation.

Even in situations where a smaller vehicle enters the highway incorrectly, the condition and behavior of the truck still have to be scrutinized. Was the truck moving or stopped? Did the truck driver have time to react or take evasive action? Did the truck’s onboard systems — like in-cab cameras or the engine control module — capture anything useful? All of those are fair questions that only evidence can answer.

I’ve handled more than a few cases where what looked obvious at first turned out to be far more complicated once we got hold of black box data, dash cam footage or driver logs. In one case, a driver’s cell phone records showed he was on a call during a critical moment. In another, poor hiring policies put a completely unqualified driver behind the wheel of a fully loaded rig. That’s why it’s critical not to let early assumptions take the place of hard facts.

There’s also the question of whether this truck was operating under a carrier with good safety practices. Did they properly vet and train their drivers? Were they following their own policies? These may seem like side issues, but they often become central in figuring out how a preventable crash ended up happening.

Without those details, we’re left with unanswered questions. And until those are resolved, we don’t really know who, if anyone, failed to uphold their responsibilities on the road that morning.

Key Takeaways:

  • It’s not yet clear how or why the van entered the highway going the wrong way.
  • The truck’s role in the crash, whether reactive or contributory, requires evidence-based scrutiny.
  • Critical evidence may include dash cam footage, black box data and driver phone records.
  • The safety practices and hiring policies of the trucking company should be examined.
  • Real accountability depends on a full investigation, not early assumptions.

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