Crary, ND —July 9, 2025, One person was killed following a cement truck truck accident that occurred at around 9:25 A.M. on 41st Street.

According to reports, a cement truck operated by a 37-year-old man was traveling on 41st Street when for unknown reasons the rear tires slipped off the road, causing the truck to lose control and roll over.

When first responders arrived on the scene they found the driver critically injured and he was pronounced deceased, though its unclear if he was first transferred to the hospital before succumbing to his injuries or at the scene. No other injuries were reported and this remains an ongoing investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a cement truck suddenly veers off the road and overturns, it leaves behind more questions than answers. Most people reading about this crash are probably wondering: What caused the truck to lose control? Was it a problem with the road, the truck itself, or something the driver did—or failed to do? Right now, we don’t have enough information to say for sure, but that doesn’t mean the answers aren’t out there. It just means no one’s put the pieces together yet.

The report mentions that the truck’s rear tires slipped off the road, which led to a rollover. That’s a starting point, but it still leaves open several critical questions. Was the shoulder soft or eroded? Was the truck forced to swerve to avoid something? Was there a mechanical issue, like brake failure or a blowout, that caused the driver to lose control? Each of these possibilities points toward very different causes—and potentially different parties who might bear responsibility.

We also don’t know if the truck was overloaded or improperly loaded. Cement trucks are top-heavy by nature, and any sudden movement or uneven weight distribution can cause them to tip. That’s why companies need to follow strict loading and driving procedures. If a tire dropped off the road and the truck tipped, that might suggest the weight was already unbalanced. If so, who loaded the truck? Were safety checks done before the trip?

Another open question is the role of technology. Did the truck have an onboard camera? Was there an engine control module (ECM) that could tell us how fast the truck was going or whether the brakes were applied? Cell phone records could also show whether the driver was distracted. These are all basic steps in a proper investigation, yet none of this is addressed in the early reports.

And what about the trucking company’s hiring and training practices? If this was a case of driver error, we still have to ask whether the driver had a clean record and proper training. I’ve handled cases where a company put an unqualified driver behind the wheel, and the result was a completely preventable crash. If there’s any chance something like that played a role here, it needs to be uncovered.

Key Takeaways:

• Answering who’s responsible requires more than assumptions; it takes real evidence and a deliberate search for the truth.

• The cause of the truck’s loss of control remains unclear—several potential explanations need to be investigated.

• Tire drop-offs and rollovers often point to issues with loading, road conditions, or driver response, all of which require detailed review.

• Critical evidence like ECM data, in-cab footage, and cell phone records can help determine exactly what happened in the moments before the crash.

• The trucking company’s role—including training, hiring, and vehicle maintenance—should be part of any thorough investigation.