1 Injured in Truck Accident on I-55 in Memphis, TN

Memphis, TN — April 22, 2025, one person was injured in a truck accident at about 7:45 a.m. on Interstate 55 near South Third Street/U.S. Route 61.

Authorities said a vehicle overturned after it was involved in a crash with a semi-truck.

A girl was hospitalized with unspecified injuries after the crash, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a crash with a semi-truck causes another vehicle to overturn, especially during morning rush hour, the investigation should begin with a close look at how the truck was being operated and whether its driver created a situation that made the crash unavoidable. According to initial reports, a vehicle overturned after coming into contact with a semi on I-55 near South Third Street, and a young girl was hospitalized as a result.

At 7:45 a.m., traffic is typically heavy, and conditions demand heightened awareness from all drivers, especially those operating commercial trucks. Interstate traffic is unpredictable: vehicles are merging, slowing for exits and jockeying for position. Truck drivers are trained to anticipate those movements and maintain enough space to avoid collisions. If that didn’t happen here, the investigation needs to determine why.

One key question is whether the semi-truck struck the vehicle directly or made a maneuver — such as an unsafe lane change or a sudden stop — that led to the car overturning. In many cases, the contact doesn’t need to be severe to cause a rollover, particularly if a smaller vehicle is sideswiped or forced to swerve abruptly. That’s why the truck’s engine control module and any available dashcam footage will be critical in reconstructing what happened. These tools can confirm the truck’s speed, braking behavior and steering inputs just before the crash.

It’s also important to understand how the truck was positioned within its lane. Did the driver drift, merge without checking blind spots or fail to yield during a lane change? Commercial vehicles have large blind spots and require more time to change lanes safely, factors that can become dangerous when not handled properly.

On the other side, investigators should determine whether the passenger vehicle was in a position that made it hard for the truck driver to see, or whether it made a maneuver that contributed to the crash. However, given that the smaller vehicle overturned and a child was injured, the presumption will lean toward examining whether the truck’s actions created a hazard that others couldn’t reasonably avoid.

The fact that a child was injured in this crash makes the stakes even higher. While the full extent of her injuries is unknown, any situation where a young person is harmed in a collision with a commercial vehicle demands a full accounting: not just of what happened at the moment of impact, but of whether it was the result of a lapse in professional judgment or oversight.

Because when a crash ends with a vehicle upside down on the interstate, it’s rarely the result of a simple mistake. It’s often a sign that someone didn’t leave enough room, didn’t pay enough attention or didn’t take the responsibility of driving a commercial truck as seriously as the law requires. And that’s exactly what this investigation needs to determine.