Laredo, TX — November 28, 2025, two people were injured in a truck accident at about 4:20 p.m. on Interstate 35/Monarch Highway.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a northbound 2022 Peterbilt semi-truck collided with a 2016 Chevrolet Malibu while changing lanes south of Mann Road.

The 19-year-old man driving the Chevrolet and the 22-year-old woman riding with him were seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. Another man in the car was not hurt.

The truck driver was not injured, the report states.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Webb County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a crash involving an 18-wheeler changing lanes and hitting a car, their first question is often, “How does that even happen?” After all, commercial drivers are supposed to be trained professionals, operating vehicles with multiple mirrors, cameras and sometimes even blind-spot sensors. So how does a fully grown semi collide with a car just by moving over?

That’s exactly the kind of question that needs to be answered here.

According to reports, a northbound semi-truck hit a passenger vehicle while changing lanes on I-35. Two of the people in the car were seriously hurt. But right now, we don’t know whether the truck driver failed to check his mirrors, whether the car was in the blind spot or whether something else entirely was going on. Without further details, it’s impossible to know whether this was a case of reckless driving, a lapse in judgment or something more complex.

That’s where an investigation comes in.

In this kind of crash, the first step is to secure the truck’s black box data. That should show whether the truck signaled before changing lanes, how fast it was going and whether the driver made any sudden maneuvers. If the truck was equipped with dash cams or in-cab video, that footage could answer key questions like whether the car was visible to the driver or whether something unexpected caused the truck to veer over.

It’s also important to look at the driver’s background. Was this someone with a clean safety record, or a history of accidents and close calls? I’ve worked on cases where trucking companies kept drivers on the road who had no business being behind the wheel, simply because they were short on drivers or didn’t want to spend time on proper vetting. Depending on what we find out, it could turn out that poor hiring or training decisions played a part in what happened here.

Something else to consider: was the truck even in the correct lane for its route? In some cases, lane changes are forced by construction zones, slow traffic or poor signage. But if this was a routine lane change, then the responsibility likely falls squarely on the person making that decision, especially when it ends with people seriously hurt.

Right now, the public is being asked to draw conclusions with only a sliver of the relevant facts. We don’t yet know whether the trucker checked his mirrors, whether the car was in his blind spot or whether traffic conditions made this maneuver risky to begin with. Until someone pulls the electronic data, interviews witnesses and reviews the truck’s equipment and the driver's history, it’s just guesswork. And that’s not how accountability works.

Key Takeaways:

• When a semi-truck hits a car during a lane change, the central question is: why didn’t the driver see the car?
• Critical evidence like black box data, dash cam footage and call logs can show whether the trucker followed proper procedures.
• A full investigation should also examine the driver's background and the company’s hiring and training practices.
• Depending on what the evidence shows, fault may lie with the driver, the company or both, but no reliable conclusions can be drawn without it.
• Injured parties deserve answers based on facts, not assumptions; and those facts start with a thorough investigation.