Zanesville, OH — June 22, 2025, Derek Lydelle was killed and three people were injured in a truck accident at about 1:30 a.m. on Interstate 70.

Authorities said a 2004 GMC Yukon collided with a 2025 Peterbilt semi-truck in a construction zone near mile marker 155. Both vehicles caught fire after the crash.

GMC driver Derek G. Lydelle, 38, died in the crash, according to authorities. Three juveniles who had been in the SUV were hospitalized with serious injuries.

No other injuries were reported.,

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Muskingum County crash at this time. The accident is still being investigated.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people read about a fiery crash between an SUV and a semi-truck in a construction zone, they’re likely left asking the same basic question: How could something like this happen? Especially at 1:30 in the morning, when traffic tends to be lighter, what led to both vehicles catching fire and a person losing their life?

At this point, we don’t yet know enough to say who is responsible. What we do know is that a man lost his life and three others — children, no less — were seriously hurt. That alone demands a full accounting of what went wrong. But with so few details released, there are major unanswered questions that need to be addressed before anyone can draw conclusions.

For starters, it’s not clear how the initial collision occurred. Did one vehicle rear-end the other? Did someone swerve? Was the semi stopped or moving? Depending on how the crash unfolded, the source of fault could be very different.

When a crash involves a commercial truck in a construction zone, there are a number of critical factors that investigators need to examine. Was the truck driving too fast for the conditions? Was the driver distracted, possibly using a phone? Was there proper signage and lane guidance through the construction area? If not, that could shift some of the responsibility to whoever was managing the work zone.

In my experience handling these kinds of cases, a thorough investigation starts with gathering hard evidence: Engine control module data (the truck’s “black box”), in-cab camera footage and the driver’s call and text records. These can tell us whether the truck was braking, accelerating or drifting at the time of impact, and whether the driver was paying attention.

Beyond that, we also have to ask about the company that put this driver on the road. Was he trained properly? Did he have a clean driving history? Sometimes, when the spotlight gets turned on the trucking company, we find hiring practices and oversight that are far more dangerous than most people would expect.

Until those questions are answered through a serious, independent investigation, we can’t know who’s responsible. But we do know this much: Crashes like this don’t just “happen.” They happen because someone, somewhere, made a decision — or failed to — that set this chain of events in motion.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear how the crash occurred; details like whether the truck was moving or stopped are still missing.
• Key evidence like black box data, dash cams and cell phone records will be essential to understanding what happened.
• A construction zone adds complexity; proper signage, lane layout and driver behavior all need to be examined.
• Trucking company practices, including hiring and training, could be relevant depending on what the investigation finds.
• Accountability depends on evidence, not assumptions, so a thorough investigation is the only path to the truth.