Yolo County, CA — December 10, 2025, one person was killed in a dump truck accident at about 7:20 a.m. in the 44000 block of County Road 28H.

Authorities said two dump truck collided near the Yolo County Central Landfill, causing one truck to overturn onto the other.

One driver, whose name has not been made public yet, died from injuries suffered in the crash near Woodland, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Yolo County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When two dump trucks collide in a way that causes one to flip over onto the other, it raises a clear question: How does something like that happen? It’s not a fender-bender. This kind of crash suggests a serious breakdown in judgment, coordination or possibly equipment; maybe all three. But from the initial reports, it’s not clear which one.

Depending on whether the trucks were both in motion or if one was stopped, very different questions arise. Was one truck pulling out of the landfill while the other was arriving? Were visibility or right-of-way factors? Did one driver fail to yield, misjudge speed or get distracted? We don’t know yet, and that’s exactly the problem.

A proper investigation should go far beyond a police report. It should involve pulling cell phone records, reviewing dash cam footage if available and — especially in commercial vehicles like these — downloading data from the engine control module (ECM). That “black box” can tell us everything from how fast the truck was going to whether the brakes were applied in time.

And then there’s the matter of the companies behind these trucks. Were these vehicles operated by the same company or by different ones? Either way, it matters. If the drivers were rushing to meet schedules set by their employer, or if either one had a known history of poor driving that was ignored, then we’re no longer just looking at driver error. We’re looking at institutional failure.

I’ve handled cases where a crash like this wasn’t about a single decision in the moment; it was the end result of bad hiring, lax oversight and unrealistic delivery demands. That kind of systemic negligence can hide in plain sight unless someone digs deep.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not clear yet whether one truck was moving or stopped when the crash occurred; an essential fact for determining fault.
• Black box data, dash cams and cell phone records can shed light on what each driver was doing before the collision.
• The relationship between the two trucks, same company or not, matters in determining where responsibility lies.
• Company policies on hiring, training and scheduling may have contributed to the crash.
• A thorough investigation should look beyond the surface to find out who really bears responsibility.