McPherson County, KS — January 28, 2026, Angel Nichols was killed in a truck accident at about 2:15 p.m. on Interstate 135 east of Elyria.

Authorities said a 2020 Ford Explorer was heading south near mile marker 53 when it crashed into a semi-truck.

Ford driver Angel M. Nichols, 41, of Park City was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash between 18th Avenue and Comanche Road, according to authorities.

The truck driver and a passenger were not injured, authorities said.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When someone reads that a woman lost her life in a crash involving an 18-wheeler, the first question that tends to come up is: How exactly did this happen? Reports say a Ford Explorer crashed into a semi-truck on I-135 near Elyria, but that doesn’t really answer anything. Depending on whether the truck was moving or stopped, different questions arise. Did the SUV hit a truck that had suddenly slowed or veered? Was the truck parked or partially in the road? Or was the SUV driver at fault in some other way?

We don’t have those answers yet, and that’s a problem.

One of the biggest challenges in truck crash investigations is getting past the surface-level information authorities release right after a wreck. That usually just includes what’s easy to see: who hit whom and the condition of the vehicles. But it takes a lot more than that to understand whether someone failed in their legal duty.

To start, we need to know what the truck was doing at the time of the crash. Was it actively moving down the highway, pulled over on the shoulder or re-entering traffic? Those details matter because each scenario carries different legal implications. For instance, if the truck was stopped or partially blocking the road, we need to ask: Was it properly marked? Were its hazard lights or reflective triangles deployed? I’ve worked cases where something as basic as missing warning devices made all the difference.

Beyond that, technology can shed a lot of light on what happened. Most trucks today have engine control modules (the truck’s "black box") that record speed, braking and gear shifts. Some even have in-cab cameras or GPS tracking. Those tools can show whether the truck braked suddenly, was idling or made an unexpected maneuver.

Cell phone records also matter. Was either driver distracted? It’s not enough to guess; we need to know.

And while it’s too early to assign blame, the trucking company’s role can’t be overlooked. Did they follow hiring protocols? Was the driver properly trained and rested? If there were safety issues in how the company runs its fleet, that could point to a broader failure beyond one moment on the highway.

Right now, all we know is that a 41-year-old woman lost her life. That deserves a full and independent investigation, not assumptions.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear what the semi-truck was doing at the time of the crash; that affects who may be responsible.
• Black box data, dash cams and cell phone records are crucial to understanding how the wreck occurred.
• The trucking company's hiring and safety practices should be reviewed to determine any systemic issues.
• Early reports rarely answer the deeper questions that matter in holding the right parties accountable.
• A thorough investigation is the only way to find out what really happened and why.