Tooele County, UT — November 19, 2025, two people were injured following a passenger car versus truck accident along State Highway 36.
According to authorities, the accident occurred in the southbound lanes of State Highway 36 in the Canyon Road junction vicinity.
Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a collision occurred between the front end of a passenger car and the left side of an 18-wheeler’s dump trailer. The sedan apparently became wedged beneath the trailer.
One person from the sedan reportedly suffered critical injuries due to the wreck; another sedan passenger sustained serious injuries, as well. EMS transported each of them to area medical facilities so that they could receive necessary treatment.
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 a car ends up wedged beneath the side of a dump trailer, it raises some tough questions—starting with how that kind of contact was even possible. In my experience, this kind of crash often points to one of two things: either the truck entered the passenger vehicle’s path unexpectedly, or the car slid under the trailer because the side wasn’t clearly visible or the truck wasn’t where it was supposed to be.
Unfortunately, the initial reports don’t say much about how the truck and car came to collide. Did the truck pull across traffic? Was it turning left or merging into the lane? Did the car strike a moving trailer or a stopped one? These are all critical distinctions, because depending on how the collision occurred, the potential for negligence shifts.
One especially important factor in these cases is visibility. Trailers—especially dump trailers—are long, elevated, and often don’t have underride guards on the sides. That can make them hard to see in certain lighting conditions, especially if reflective markings are missing or dirty. If the car went underneath the trailer, investigators need to determine whether the trailer was lit or marked well enough to be visible to other drivers. That’s not just a design issue; it’s a legal one.
And while the truck’s actions will rightly be examined, it’s also important not to overlook other forms of contributing negligence. Was the truck positioned legally in the roadway? Was the driver attempting a legal maneuver at the time? Was speed involved? Did the truck have a dash cam or GPS data that could clarify the sequence of events?
Without answers to those questions, there’s no way to know whether the truck driver, the trucking company, the manufacturer of the trailer, or someone else entirely should be held accountable. But based on what’s known so far, this collision has many of the hallmarks of a preventable underride scenario—and that’s not something investigators should overlook.
Key Takeaways:
- It’s unclear whether the truck was moving, stopped, or turning at the time of the crash.
- Underride crashes often involve questions of trailer visibility, lighting, and reflective markings.
- Investigators should examine dash cam footage, GPS data, and trailer condition to determine cause.
- The presence or absence of underride guards may be relevant depending on how the collision occurred.
- Full accountability depends on a clear understanding of how and why the two vehicles came into contact.
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