Greenville, SC — June 15, 2025, David Whitehead Sr. was killed and another person was injured in a truck accident at about 11:30 p.m. on Interstate 385.

Authorities said a dump truck was heading south near the Roper Mountain Road exit when it was hit by an Audi SUV, causing the truck to overturn.

Truck driver David Mather Whitehead Sr., 58, of High Point, NC died after being transported to a local hospital, according to authorities.

A passenger in the Audi was hospitalized with serious injuries, while the driver was arrested on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol resulting in great bodily injury and death, authorities said.

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

Commentary

When people read about a fatal crash like this, where a dump truck was hit by a suspected drunk driver, it’s easy to assume the story ends there. But the reality is rarely that simple. Even when alcohol is involved, the law still asks: How did this happen? Could anything have been done to prevent it? And who, beyond the driver, might bear some share of responsibility?

Authorities say the Audi struck the dump truck, causing it to overturn. That raises an immediate and important question: Was the dump truck moving or stationary when the impact occurred? If it was driving in its lane and the Audi swerved into it, that paints one picture. But if the truck was slowing down, merging or even improperly stopped on or near the roadway, that opens the door to deeper scrutiny. Right now, that’s not clear.

We also don’t know where the impact occurred: did the Audi hit the rear of the truck, the side or the front? Each of those scenarios has a different implication when it comes to how this happened and what could have been done to avoid it.

And just as important as how the crash unfolded is what the available evidence can tell us. Was the dump truck equipped with a dash cam or an in-cab camera? These can be critical in showing how the crash developed in real time. What about black box (ECM) data? That can tell us how fast the truck was going, when the brakes were applied and whether the driver took any evasive action.

There’s no question that driving under the influence is a serious offense, and authorities have arrested the Audi’s driver on charges tied to that. But in my experience, even when one driver is intoxicated, that doesn't give others involved, or the companies behind them, a free pass. I've seen more than a few cases where a company tried to avoid accountability by pointing the finger at the other driver’s bad decisions, only for the evidence to show that their own failures played a major role in what happened.

That’s why I always ask: What was the dump truck driver doing just before impact? Was he properly trained and alert? Did the trucking company follow best practices in hiring and vetting him? These are not trivial concerns. I’ve litigated cases where drivers were on the road despite long histories of disciplinary issues, crashes or outright incompetence, all because a company didn’t take hiring seriously.

Depending on how this crash unfolded, multiple people or entities could bear responsibility. For example:

• If the dump truck was stopped in a travel lane without hazard lights or proper reflectors, that could be a critical factor.
• If company maintenance logs show that the truck’s lighting was out, that’s another piece of the puzzle.
• If the truck driver made a last-second lane change or slowed down unexpectedly, black box and camera footage could prove that, or rule it out.

Until those facts come out, we don’t have the full story. And without the full story, we can’t begin to answer the most important question: Who should be held accountable for what happened?

Key Takeaways

• We still don’t know whether the dump truck was moving, stopped or merging at the time of the crash. Each scenario raises different legal questions.
• Dash cams and black box data could provide critical evidence about how the crash occurred and whether the truck driver reacted appropriately.
• The presence of alcohol does not automatically absolve the trucking company or its driver of responsibility.
• A proper investigation should examine hiring practices, maintenance records and any available technology in the truck.
• Accountability must be based on facts, not assumptions about who’s to blame.