Update (March 25, 2025): Authorities have identified the driver who was killed in this accident as Jerry Fred Cozart Jr., 47.

Cherokee County, AL — March 24, 2025, one person was killed in a morning truck accident on State Route 68 east of Collinsville.

Authorities said a dump truck crashed into a pickup near the old armory between Collinsville and Sand Rock.

One person was killed in the crash, according to authorities, but it is not clear how the person was involved in the accident.

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 crash involves a commercial vehicle like a dump truck, especially on a rural highway such as State Route 68, the questions that need answering go well beyond who hit whom. In this case, with limited details available and one person confirmed dead, the real focus should be on how and why the vehicles came into conflict, particularly in an area where traffic is generally lighter, but speeds are often higher and roads may not be forgiving.

One of the first things that should be examined is the point of impact. Did the dump truck rear-end the pickup, hit it head-on or was the crash at an angle suggesting a turn or lane change? That distinction matters, not just for assigning fault, but for understanding whether the driver of the commercial vehicle had enough time and distance to react. A properly trained dump truck driver should be maintaining extra space in case of sudden stops or turns, and if that wasn’t possible, we need to know why.

The location suggests a stretch of highway that may have limited shoulders, driveways with poor visibility or curves that complicate line-of-sight. If the crash involved a vehicle entering or exiting one of those access points, investigators will need to consider whether the road design gives drivers enough time to react to merging or turning vehicles. These kinds of roads often lack the safety features seen on more modern highways.

Speed is also a major concern here. Dump trucks are heavy, and if they’re traveling even close to the speed limit, they need much more time and distance to stop than a passenger vehicle. Investigators should review the dump truck’s black box data, if available, to determine whether the driver was speeding or braking prior to the crash.

At this stage, there's still a lot we don’t know, but what’s clear is that someone lost their life, and there’s a heavy vehicle involved, one that carries greater responsibilities under the law due to its size and potential to do harm. A thorough investigation should go beyond the basic collision report and look at vehicle speeds, line-of-sight conditions and the training and performance of the commercial driver. Only by doing so can we understand what went wrong and whether changes to road design or enforcement might prevent another family from getting this kind of call in the future.