Surry County, NC — April 1, 2025, Russell Losser was killed and two other people were injured in a truck accident on Interstate 77.
Authorities said a 2024 Volvo semi-truck was stopped in the left lane for traffic on southbound I-77 when it was hit from behind by a 2017 Chevrolet Equinox. A 2021 Honda CR-V subsequently hit the Chevrolet.
Chevrolet driver Russell Losser, 51, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities. A passenger was hospitalized with unspecified injuries.
The driver of the Honda was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening vehicles, authorities said.
The semi-truck driver was not injured, according to authorities.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash near mile marker 86. The accident is still under investigation.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a passenger vehicle crashes into the back of a stopped semi-truck, most people assume the driver who rear-ended the truck must be at fault. But in my experience, that assumption can overlook some of the most important factors, especially when the commercial vehicle is stopped in a travel lane, as appears to be the case here.
According to reports, the semi-truck was stopped in the left lane of I-77 for traffic when it was hit from behind by a Chevrolet Equinox. That raises an immediate legal question: Was the truck visible, and was it stopped in a place that gave following drivers a reasonable opportunity to avoid a collision?
Even when traffic comes to a stop, truck drivers have a responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are clearly visible and that they brake gradually enough to give drivers behind them time to react. At highway speeds, especially in the left lane where drivers generally expect traffic to be moving quickly, a sudden or poorly marked stop can become a serious hazard.
It’s also worth asking whether the semi’s brake lights were functioning properly, whether weather or lighting played a role in visibility and whether traffic was already backing up before the truck stopped. These are the kinds of details that can only be uncovered through a complete investigation, including dashcam footage, ECM data from the truck and statements from witnesses or other drivers in the area.
Additionally, a crash like this may point to a larger issue with traffic flow or congestion management. Was there an earlier incident or construction zone that caused the sudden stop? If so, did the truck driver and others respond to it appropriately? These are the kinds of upstream factors that often play a bigger role in causing the crash than people realize.
Ultimately, the presence of a rear-end collision doesn’t automatically determine who is at fault. The law requires that all drivers, especially commercial ones, operate with reasonable care under the circumstances. If stopping in the left lane created a danger that couldn’t be avoided, then that decision needs to be scrutinized.
That’s why it’s critical for investigators to go beyond the surface. Because when a crash takes someone’s life, the goal isn’t just to describe what happened: It’s to understand why it happened, and whether it could have been prevented.
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