Durham, NC — April 7, 2025, two people were injured in a single-vehicle truck accident sometime in the morning along Interstate Highway 40.
According to authorities, two people were traveling in an 18-wheeler on I.H. 40 in the vicinity of Chapel Hill Boulevard when the accident took place.
The cause of the accident remains unclear. Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, the 18-wheeler failed to safely maintain its lane of travel. It was consequently involved in a single-vehicle collision in which it struck the center median and became jackknifed.
One of the two people who had been in the truck reportedly suffered injuries serious enough to merit transport to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive treatment. The other person from the truck apparently sustained more minor injuries and was not transported. Additional details pertaining to this incident—including the identities of the victims—are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When an 18-wheeler veers out of its lane, strikes the median, and jackknifes on a major interstate, there’s always more to the story than what the crash scene alone can reveal. In my experience handling truck accident cases, these kinds of single-vehicle incidents often stem from issues that began long before the moment the tires left the lane—issues with fatigue, mechanical failure, poor training, or lapses in oversight that go unnoticed until it’s too late.
The first question I’d want answered is why the truck left its lane. Was the driver distracted or drowsy? Was there a mechanical issue—like a tire blowout, brake failure, or steering problem—that made it impossible to maintain control? Was the vehicle properly loaded and balanced, or did shifting cargo play a role in throwing off stability? These aren’t minor details. They shape how we understand the crash and who, if anyone, might have failed to do their part in preventing it.
It’s also important to consider what support the driver had from the company operating the truck, assuming it was being used for commercial purposes. Was the driver nearing the limit of their allowable hours behind the wheel? Was there pressure to stay on schedule even if it meant driving in a less-than-alert state? Did the company conduct routine maintenance on the vehicle—or leave drivers to deal with equipment problems on their own? I’ve seen too many cases where trucking companies created the conditions for these crashes by cutting corners behind the scenes.
The jackknife itself tells us something important: a complete loss of control. Jackknifes typically happen when the trailer swings out of alignment with the cab, often during heavy braking or sudden swerving. That suggests the driver had to react quickly to something—possibly a hazard, a vehicle in their path, or an internal failure—and the truck wasn’t able to recover.
From where I sit, a crash like this isn’t just about a truck hitting a median. It’s a sign that something upstream went wrong—either with the equipment, the planning, or the decision-making that led to the driver being in that situation. A proper investigation will dig into those layers and determine whether this was truly an unforeseeable event or something that could have—and should have—been avoided. That’s the only way to hold the right parties accountable and ensure that those affected by the wreck receive the clarity and closure they deserve.
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