Update (May 30, 2025): Authorities have identified the person who was killed in this accident as Tyson R. Stevens, 49, of Milan.
Milan, IL — May 28, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 4:15 p.m. in the 4300 block of 78th Avenue/Indian Bluff Road.
Authorities said a semi-truck collided with a passenger car just east of the Rock Island-Milan Parkway.
The driver of the car, whose name has not been made public yet, died in the crash, according to authorities. The truck driver was not injured.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Rock Island County crash at this time. The accident is still being investigated.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear that a car was hit by an 18-wheeler and the car’s driver didn’t survive, a natural reaction is to assume the truck driver must be at fault. That might turn out to be true here, but based on what’s publicly available, we just don’t know yet. The real question is: what exactly happened at the moment of impact, and what led up to it?
According to initial reports, a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle collided around 4:15 p.m. on 78th Avenue/Indian Bluff Road. The driver of the car died, and the truck driver was uninjured. Beyond that, there’s been no explanation of who crossed into whose lane, whether one vehicle stopped or turned unexpectedly or if either driver tried to brake or swerve. It’s even unclear if one of the vehicles may have been pulling out of a driveway or side road.
That lack of information leaves some key unanswered questions:
- Was the truck moving when the collision happened, or was the car the one in motion?
- Did either driver violate a traffic control signal or fail to yield?
- Was either vehicle speeding or driving erratically?
- Were visibility, road design or signage a contributing factor?
To find out what really happened, investigators will need access to more than just skid marks and debris. They’ll need electronic data, specifically from the truck’s ECM (engine control module), which logs speed, braking, throttle use and more in the moments before a crash. If the truck was equipped with in-cab cameras, that footage could offer an unfiltered view of what the driver saw and how they responded.
Cell phone records may also be critical. If the truck driver was distracted — talking, texting or using apps — it won’t show up in the police report unless someone asks for those logs. In past cases I’ve handled, phone use has turned out to be a key factor that wasn’t discovered until long after the crash, when we obtained those records ourselves.
It’s also worth asking: Who put this truck driver behind the wheel? If the driver made a mistake, that’s one thing. But if they were unqualified to begin with, or poorly trained, that shifts the focus to the trucking company. I’ve seen cases where companies skipped proper background checks or allowed drivers on the road without meaningful skills testing. One client of mine was hit by a trucker who had been fired from multiple jobs, yet was hired after a 20-minute “test drive” with no written evaluation. That’s not due diligence; that’s negligence.
At this point, there’s no way to know if any of those issues are present in this crash. But they’re the kinds of questions that have to be asked if we want real answers, not just assumptions.
Key Takeaways
- Authorities haven’t said how the collision happened, leaving many key questions unanswered.
- Black box data, dash cams and phone records will be crucial in determining what led to the crash.
- Depending on the facts, responsibility could lie with the truck driver, the trucking company or others.
- An independent investigation is essential to get the full picture of what happened.
- Accountability starts with evidence; what story it tells will determine who’s at fault.
