Gary, IN — December 31, 2025, Dahlia Shakespeare-Sharpe was killed in a truck accident at about 2:30 a.m. on Interstate 94/Frank Borman Expressway.

Authorities said a westbound semi-truck loaded with about 40,000 pounds of frozen food overturned onto a passenger vehicle near Richard Gordon Hatcher Boulevard.

The driver of the other vehicle, 53-year-old Michigan resident Dahlia Shakespeare-Sharpe, died from injuries suffered in the crash, according to authorities.

The truck driver suffered minor injuries, authorities said.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a fully loaded 18-wheeler overturns onto a passenger vehicle in the middle of the night, people naturally want to know: How does something like that happen? Was the truck speeding? Did the cargo shift? Was the driver drowsy or distracted? Unfortunately, the early reports from this crash don’t answer any of those questions.

Depending on whether the truck tipped over while in motion or while changing lanes, different questions arise. If the vehicle was traveling straight and suddenly overturned, that raises the possibility of a cargo shift. On the other hand, if the truck was taking a curve or executing a lane change, it could point to driver input: too fast for conditions, overcorrecting or even something as basic as veering off the road. But without more facts, we’re left in the dark.

We also don’t yet know if this truck had in-cab cameras or electronic logging devices. These are the tools that can help reconstruct the moments before a crash. Was the driver on the phone? Were they drifting off? Were there sudden steering inputs or braking? The truck’s “black box” — formally known as the engine control module (ECM) — can provide hard data on speed, braking, throttle use and more. That evidence doesn’t lie, and it’s often the key to understanding what really happened.

It’s also worth asking how the 40,000-pound load of frozen food was secured. Overturn accidents involving loaded trailers often turn on the quality of the cargo securement. Was the cargo stacked too high? Were restraints used properly? Did the load shift due to poor weight distribution? If a load isn’t secured according to federal regulations, the company responsible for loading it, not just the driver, may bear responsibility.

I handled a case a few years back where a steel load was improperly secured to a flatbed, creating a death trap on wheels. The driver wasn’t the only one who had to answer for that crash; several companies shared responsibility, from those who loaded the trailer to those who chose the wrong trailer in the first place.

That’s why in crashes like this, it’s a mistake to assume that one person, or even one company, is entirely to blame. Getting answers takes a real investigation, and that means gathering records, reviewing the truck’s data and digging into how the cargo was secured. Without that, we’re left with speculation instead of accountability.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not yet clear what caused the semi-truck to overturn: driver input, road conditions or cargo shift are all possible factors.
• Black box data, dash cam footage and cell phone records can help determine what the truck driver was doing before the crash.
• If improperly secured cargo played a role, the loading company could share responsibility.
• A full investigation must consider not just the driver’s actions, but also company hiring, training, and loading practices.
• Real accountability depends on uncovering all the contributing factors; not just pointing fingers based on early reports.