Vinton County, OH — February 14, 2025, Larry Martin was killed in a truck accident at about 10 a.m. on U.S. Route 50 near McArthur.

Authorities said a 2010 Nissan lost control while heading west on U.S. 50 and crashed head-on with a Rumpke Waste & Recycling trash truck. The car slid off the road into an embankment after the crash.

Nissan driver Larry Martin, 81, died at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The trash truck driver was not injured.

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 smaller vehicle loses control and collides with a large commercial truck, most people assume it's just an unfortunate accident with no deeper cause. However, in my experience, crashes like this often raise important questions that deserve closer examination.

The first issue investigators should consider is why the Nissan lost control in the first place. Was there a mechanical failure, a road hazard or an environmental factor like ice or standing water? Too often, authorities focus only on what happened at the moment of impact, rather than what led to the driver losing control in the first place.

Beyond that, there’s the question of whether the design of the road played a role. Was this a stretch of highway prone to crashes? Were there sharp curves, poor drainage or other design flaws that made it difficult for drivers to maintain control? I’ve seen cases where poorly maintained or hazardous road conditions contributed to similar wrecks, yet those factors were overlooked in the official investigation.

Additionally, while the trash truck driver wasn’t injured, that doesn’t mean their actions don’t deserve scrutiny. Was the truck traveling at a safe speed? Was it positioned properly in the lane? In my experience, even when another vehicle initiates a crash, commercial drivers still have a duty to respond safely and avoid worsening the situation.

At this stage, there’s still much that isn’t known. That’s why it’s critical that investigators go beyond the crash scene, gather all available evidence and determine if there were preventable factors that contributed to this loss of life.