Lebanon County, PA — January 30, 2025, Ann Guy was killed in a truck accident at about 12:50 p.m. on State Route 501/Stiegel Pike.

Authorities said a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic apparently lost control on a curve while traveling north near Locust Street. It crossed into the oncoming lane and crashed head-on into a 2020 Peterbilt semi-truck. The car ended up on shoulder of the southbound lane after hitting a utility pole.

Chevrolet driver Ann M. Guy, 60, died after being transported to a local hospital, according to authorities. The truck driver was not injured.

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

Commentary

When a crash involves a smaller vehicle crossing into the path of a semi-truck, people tend to assume that the car’s driver was at fault. While that may be the case, my experience tells me that crashes like this often require a closer look. The question that needs answering is why did the car lose control in the first place?

One possible explanation is road conditions. If the curve where this crash happened was poorly designed, had inadequate signage or was slick due to weather, then those factors could have contributed to the driver losing control. I’ve handled cases where worn-out pavement markings, standing water or hidden dips in the road played a bigger role in a crash than driver error. A proper investigation should look at whether this road had any history of similar incidents.

Another critical question is whether the truck’s movement played any role. Most people assume that if a car crosses the center line, it’s entirely the driver’s fault. But I’ve seen cases where a truck’s position or speed affected a smaller vehicle’s ability to handle a curve. Was the truck drifting toward the center, forcing the car into a tighter turn? Was it coming downhill with more speed than expected? Was there enough room for both vehicles to safely navigate the curve? These are the kinds of questions an investigation should answer.

It’s also important to consider possible vehicle issues. If the Chevrolet had mechanical problems — like worn-out tires or brake failure — that could explain why the driver lost control. But the only way to know for sure is through a thorough examination of the wreckage.

At this point, we simply don’t have enough information to say what really happened. What I do know is that crashes like this shouldn’t just be written off as a “driver lost control” situation without taking a deeper look. If authorities don’t investigate all the possible contributing factors, they risk overlooking important details that could help explain what went wrong.