Wake County, NC — June 21, 2025, three people were injured due to a truck accident sometime in the morning along Interstate Highway 87.
According to authorities, an SUV and a Chevy Silverado pickup truck hauling a utility trailer were traveling northbound on I.H. 87 in the vicinity of Wendell Falls Parkway when the accident took place.
Details surrounding the accident remains scarce. Preliminary reports state that, for as yet unknown reasons, one of the vehicles made a lane change at an apparently unsafe time. A collision consequently took place in which both vehicles swerved to the left and crashed into a guardrail before also colliding with a bridge support.
Three people reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries as a result of the wreck and were transported to local medical facilities by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment. Additional information pertaining to this incident—including the identities of the victims—is not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Crashes involving a trailer-towing vehicle and an SUV on a busy interstate often raise the same basic question: who moved first—and why? In this case, we’re told that one vehicle made an unsafe lane change, but authorities haven’t yet said which one. That leaves us with a crash that appears to involve overcorrection, swerving, and ultimately a violent impact with both a guardrail and a bridge support. These are not light collisions, and the fact that the injuries weren’t more serious is largely luck.
Unsafe Lane Changes Aren’t Always Reckless—But They’re Often Preventable
The phrase “unsafe lane change” can mean a lot of things. It might involve cutting someone off. It might mean moving into a blind spot. It might even be a reaction to something else happening in traffic—another merging vehicle, debris in the road, or sudden braking up ahead. But whatever the reason, when two vehicles end up careening into infrastructure, something in that maneuver went badly wrong.
Here are the questions that matter most in figuring out what happened:
- Which vehicle initiated the lane change, and from which lane?
- Was the merging driver aware of the trailer’s presence and turning radius?
- Did the trailer or SUV have a clear, unobstructed lane before moving?
These aren’t speculative questions. Dash cams, traffic cameras, and damage patterns on the vehicles can tell a very clear story if investigators are looking at the right data.
Trailers Add Weight, Length—and Risk
We don’t yet know whether the Chevy Silverado was being used for personal or commercial purposes, and that distinction does matter. But regardless of who owned it or why it was hauling a utility trailer, the trailer changes everything about how that vehicle behaves on the road. Lane changes become slower, more deliberate. Blind spots increase. And if the trailer starts to sway after an impact or a hard steering input, the whole vehicle can become uncontrollable in seconds.
It’s also worth noting that after the initial collision, both vehicles veered left—toward the median, the guardrail, and ultimately the bridge support. That pattern suggests a sharp evasive response after impact, possibly an attempt by one or both drivers to regain control or avoid a secondary collision. Depending on where each vehicle ended up, investigators may be able to reconstruct who hit what first—and at what angle.
Commercial or Not, Safe Towing Is Still a Duty
Even if the pickup and trailer weren’t part of a business operation, they still had to be operated safely. That includes knowing how the extra length affects visibility and clearance during lane changes. It includes checking that the trailer is properly balanced and doesn’t swing under braking or sudden steering. Whether someone is hauling landscaping equipment for a job or a four-wheeler for the weekend, those responsibilities don’t change.
Key Takeaways:
- The crash reportedly involved an unsafe lane change, but which vehicle initiated it remains unclear.
- Both vehicles ended up swerving into a guardrail and bridge support, indicating high-impact maneuvers after the initial collision.
- Trailer handling and driver awareness are major factors in lane-change crashes involving towed loads, regardless of commercial status.
- Dash cams and traffic footage will be critical to reconstructing the exact sequence of events and assigning responsibility.
- Safe trailer operation requires care and training, whether the vehicle is being used for business or personal purposes.
call us 
Email Us 
Text us