Update (September 11, 2025): Authorities said 37-year-old Trent Evans died after another vehicle backed into the garbage truck he was driving. The truck overturned and hit a utility pole after swerving in an effort to avoid the collision, according to authorities. The other driver was not hurt.
Oakland County, MI — September 9, 2025, injuries were reported in an afternoon garbage truck accident near West Silverbell Road and South Lapeer Road/State Highway 24.
Authorities said a garbage truck overturned after a collision with an SUV near the intersection south of Lake Orion.
The crash, which forced the closure of Silverbell Road for debris cleanup, was described as a serious injury accident, according to authorities.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Oakland County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear about a crash involving a garbage truck that tipped over after hitting an SUV, one of the first things they wonder is: How does a collision like that even happen? Garbage trucks are huge, slow-moving vehicles. SUVs are smaller, but still sturdy. So what kind of interaction between the two could cause such a heavy vehicle to overturn?
At this point, the details are scarce. We don’t know who had the right of way, how fast either vehicle was moving or whether the truck was in the middle of a turn or a lane change. Depending on whether the truck was moving or stopped at the time, very different questions arise. If the SUV pulled out suddenly in front of the truck, that’s one scenario. But if the truck made a wide turn into the SUV’s path, that’s another. Without more information, it’s too early to draw conclusions about who’s responsible.
What’s clear is that a garbage truck doesn’t flip over for no reason. These vehicles are designed with a high center of gravity, especially when loaded, which means they’re vulnerable to tipping if something disturbs their balance. That might involve a sudden swerve, a sharp turn or even a load shift inside the truck. Each of those possibilities raises new questions: Was the driver forced to swerve? Was the turn too sharp for the truck’s speed? Was the load properly secured?
Getting those answers requires more than just a police report. Investigators would need to check whether the truck had in-cab cameras, which could show how the crash unfolded. The truck’s engine control module, or “black box,” could reveal whether the driver braked, accelerated or turned just before the rollover. Cell phone records might tell us if the driver was distracted. And company policies would come into play too: Was the driver properly trained? Had they been on the road too long without a break?
I’ve worked on cases where garbage truck drivers were placed behind the wheel without enough oversight or support. In one, a driver with prior safety violations was hired without even a full road test. That kind of shortcut doesn’t just put the driver at risk. It puts everyone around them in danger. If something like that happened here, it needs to come to light.
But none of that can be confirmed until a thorough investigation takes place. Rollover crashes like this one usually aren’t random events. They’re the result of a chain of decisions. The job of investigators is to trace that chain backward to its source.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s not yet clear whether the garbage truck caused the crash or was reacting to something the SUV did.
- Rollover crashes suggest sharp maneuvers, speed or instability, each requiring investigation.
- In-cab video, black box data and cell phone records could shed light on the truck driver’s actions.
- Questions about driver training, route planning and company oversight may be relevant.
- Full accountability requires uncovering what decisions led to the truck overturning.
call us 
Email Us 
Text us