Horry County, SC — November 19, 2025, Christian Howard was killed in a truck accident at about 2 p.m. on U.S. Route 701 near Bucksport.

Authorities said a passenger vehicle and a log truck collided head-on near Lucas Bay Road.

Vehicle driver Christian Todd Howard, 25, died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people read about a head-on crash between a log truck and a passenger vehicle, like the one recently reported in Horry County, they’re bound to wonder: How did two vehicles end up in each other’s path on a highway like U.S. 701? Did someone drift? Was someone passing? Was one of the vehicles stationary or stopped? Right now, the publicly available information doesn’t answer any of those questions, and that’s a problem if we’re trying to get to the truth.

What we do know is that a man lost his life. That fact alone makes it essential to understand whether this was preventable and, if so, who failed in their responsibilities. But without knowing more about how the collision occurred, particularly which vehicle crossed into the other's lane or why, it’s far too early to place blame. There’s also no mention of any injuries to the truck driver, which raises the question of how fast each vehicle was going and who had the ability to react.

To answer any of those questions, investigators would need to go far beyond the crash scene. For example:

• Was there dash cam or in-cab video in the log truck? Many commercial trucks have this equipment, and it can show whether the driver was alert, distracted or otherwise acting unusually just before impact.
• Does the truck have an engine control module (ECM), a kind of “black box”? If so, it could reveal whether the driver hit the brakes, accelerated or swerved before the crash.
• What do the driver’s records show? Has the driver had prior safety violations or been involved in other incidents? I’ve handled cases where a trucking company put someone behind the wheel who had already been fired from multiple other jobs. When companies cut corners in hiring or training, it can lead to deadly results.
• Were cell phone records reviewed? It’s not clear if the authorities have investigated whether either driver was using a phone at the time. That’s something an independent investigation can pursue if it's not part of the official report.

I’ve worked on cases where it initially looked like one party was clearly to blame, but once we gathered all the data — ECM downloads, cell records, company policy documents and dashcam footage — the story turned out to be very different. That’s why it’s so important not to rush to judgment in a case like this.

Without full access to the facts, we're left with critical unanswered questions. Did the log truck cross into oncoming traffic, or did the passenger vehicle? Was a mechanical failure involved? Did weather or road conditions play a role? The answers will determine whether this was a tragic but unavoidable event, or the result of someone’s preventable mistake.

Key Takeaways:

• The crash raises immediate questions about which vehicle crossed into the other's lane and why.
• Investigative tools like dashcams, ECMs and cell phone records are crucial to getting clear answers.
• Trucking company policies and the driver’s background may also be relevant, depending on what the evidence shows.
• Right now, there isn’t enough public information to determine fault; an independent investigation may be necessary.
• Accountability requires a full understanding of the facts; not just assumptions based on the outcome.