Council Bluffs, IA — January 24, 2026, Aliyah Parker was killed in a truck accident at about 11:15 a.m. on Interstate 80/Grand Army of the Republic Highway.

Authorities said a 2008 Chevrolet Malibu was heading west when it lost control and rear-ended a semi-truck near the junction with Interstate 29.

Chevrolet driver Aliyah Parker, 19, of Shenandoah died after being transported to a local hospital, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When most people hear that a car rear-ended an 18-wheeler, they tend to assume the smaller vehicle must be at fault. And depending on the details, that may turn out to be true here. But when I hear about a fatal crash like this one in Council Bluffs, I’m less interested in surface-level assumptions and more interested in the unanswered questions that could tell the real story.

What caused the driver of the Chevrolet to lose control in the first place? Was there ice or standing water on the road? Did a mechanical failure occur? Was she reacting to something the truck did, or failed to do? These are critical questions, and right now, we don’t have clear answers.

Another key issue is the positioning and behavior of the 18-wheeler at the time of the crash. Was it stopped or moving? If it was stopped or moving slowly in an active lane of travel, then rear-end collisions aren’t necessarily straightforward. In fact, I’ve handled cases where trucks were improperly stopped on the highway, poorly marked or lacking required lighting or reflective tape; any of which can create deadly hazards for oncoming motorists.

There’s also the question of what kind of trailer was involved and whether it met visibility requirements under federal regulations. If the rear of the trailer wasn’t adequately lit or marked, then even a cautious driver could have trouble seeing it in time, especially at highway speeds.

To get answers, we’d need to look at physical evidence from the scene, including skid marks, dash cam footage (if any exists) and data from the truck’s engine control module, its “black box,” which can tell us how fast the truck was going and whether it was braking or accelerating at the time of the crash. We’d also want to know whether the truck had in-cab cameras and whether driver behavior or distraction played a role.

I’ve seen cases where a crash that looked simple on the surface turned out to involve multiple layers of failure: from driver decisions to equipment maintenance to company safety practices. And I’ve seen the opposite too, where a car really did lose control for reasons no one else could’ve prevented. That’s why an independent investigation matters so much. Without it, there’s no way to fairly determine who, if anyone, should be held accountable.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not yet clear what caused the Chevrolet to lose control or what role the truck’s position or movement may have played.
• Depending on whether the 18-wheeler was moving or stopped, different legal questions arise about visibility, lighting and roadway conduct.
• Black box data, dash cams and physical evidence are essential to getting a full picture of what happened.
• Rear-end collisions involving large trucks aren't always the fault of the smaller vehicle; context matters.
• A thorough investigation is necessary to determine whether any failures in truck operation or visibility contributed to this fatal crash.