Update (March 6, 2025): Authorities have identified the man who was killed in this accident as Oliver Smith, 28, of Chaney.

Spokane, WA — March 2, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident just after midnight on White Road near U.S. Route 395.

Authorities said a Ford pickup with a trailer was headed southwest when it hit a man on an electronic bike.

The man on the bike was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities. His name has not been made public at this point.

The truck driver, who is cooperating with investigators, did not show any signs of intoxication, authorities said.

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 pickup truck towing a trailer collides with a bicyclist, particularly at night, the key question isn’t just what happened, but why it happened. Crashes like these often involve visibility issues, driver awareness and road design, all of which need to be examined before reaching any conclusions.

One of the first things investigators should determine is whether the cyclist was clearly visible to the truck driver. Was the bike equipped with lights and reflectors? Was the rider in a designated bike lane or a safe position on the road? At the same time, was the truck driver paying full attention to the road ahead, or was distraction a factor? It’s common for nighttime crashes to involve a failure to detect vulnerable road users in time to react, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the cyclist was at fault.

Beyond that, the road conditions themselves deserve scrutiny. Some roads are designed with little to no space for cyclists, essentially forcing them into harm’s way. Were there adequate streetlights in the area? Was the shoulder wide enough for safe riding? If the road wasn’t designed to accommodate cyclists, then this crash may not have been purely the result of driver or rider error: it may also reflect a failure in infrastructure planning.

It’s easy to assume a fatal bike-truck collision happened because the cyclist was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But my experience handling vehicle accident cases has taught me that a proper investigation needs to look at all factors, from visibility and road design to driver behavior, before determining accountability. Otherwise, the real causes of crashes like this may go overlooked.