Craighead County, AR — August 18, 2025, Shirley Coleman was killed and James Coleman was injured in a truck accident at about 4:45 p.m. on State Highway 141.
Authorities said a 2017 Mack semi-truck collided with a northbound 2006 Nissan while trying to turn left onto County Road 766/New Haven Church Road.
A passenger in the Nissan, 79-year-old Shirley F. Coleman, died in the crash north of Jonesboro, according to authorities, while driver James Coleman, 82, was hospitalized with unspecified injuries.
No other injuries were reported.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Craighead County crash at this time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear about a crash like this, where a semi-truck reportedly turned left into the path of an oncoming car, one of the first questions they’re likely to ask is: How does something like that even happen? On the surface, it may seem like an open-and-shut case. A truck makes a left turn, a northbound car collides with it and someone loses their life. But in my experience, these cases rarely come down to just what’s in the police report.
The central issue here is whether the truck driver made a safe and lawful turn. Based on what’s been reported, the truck was attempting to turn left onto County Road 766/New Haven Church Road and crossed the path of a northbound vehicle. That raises a few unanswered questions:
- Did the truck have a protected turn, or was the driver required to yield?
- Was the Nissan visible and approaching at a distance where the trucker should have waited?
- Was the semi-truck moving slowly, accelerating from a stop or already in motion when the collision occurred?
These may sound like technical details, but they matter a great deal in determining fault.
One of the most critical tools in answering these questions is the truck’s engine control module (ECM), or “black box.” It can show how fast the truck was going, when the brakes were applied and whether the driver was accelerating or coasting. If the truck had a dash cam or in-cab camera, that could show the driver’s view of the road and possibly whether the car was clearly visible before the turn. Phone records could help confirm whether the driver was distracted at the time.
There’s also a broader layer of accountability beyond the crash scene. Even if the trucker misjudged the turn, we still need to ask: Was this someone who had a history of bad driving decisions? Were they rushed or fatigued? Had the company cut corners during hiring or training? I’ve handled cases where a trucking company gave a driver a 20-minute road test and called it a day, only to learn too late that the driver had multiple terminations on their record. If something similar happened here, that’s not just bad judgment; it’s a corporate failure.
In short, the real story behind this crash won’t be found in the initial headlines. It’ll come from collecting records, downloading data and asking hard questions that go beyond the surface.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not clear whether the truck had the right-of-way or if the Nissan was clearly visible at the time of the turn.
- The truck’s black box, dash cam and driver phone records are key to understanding what happened.
- A deeper investigation should also examine the truck driver’s background and the company’s hiring/training policies.
- Fault can’t be determined without reconstructing the crash from all available evidence.
- True accountability depends on identifying not just who caused the crash, but why it happened in the first place.
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