Adams County, WA — April 11, 2025, Edson De La Cruz was killed and Maria Mendoza and Marcalina Santana were injured in a truck accident just after midnight on State Route 26.

Authorities said a Chevrolet box truck crashed into the back of a tractor while traveling east near mile marker 32.

Chevrolet driver Edson Quintero De La Cruz, 34, died at the scene of the crash about eight miles west of Othello, while passengers Maria G. Mendoza and Marcalina D. Santana, both 42, were hospitalized with unspecified injuries.

The tractor driver was not injured.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Adams County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a box truck strikes the rear of a tractor on a rural highway in the middle of the night, the first legal questions that need to be answered is whether the slower-moving vehicle was visible, and whether the driver of the box truck had a reasonable chance to avoid the crash. Rear-end collisions often lead to assumptions about fault, but when one of the vehicles is a farm tractor operating on a state highway after dark, there are far more legal variables to consider.

The critical question here is whether the tractor was properly marked and illuminated. Tractors are permitted on public roads in many areas, but they’re required to meet specific safety standards, especially when operating at night. That typically includes having a slow-moving vehicle (SMV) emblem, working lights and reflective markings. If any of those elements were missing or inadequate, it could be a contributing factor in the crash.

At the same time, the box truck driver was operating a commercial vehicle after midnight on a rural road: conditions that demand a high level of alertness. Investigators will need to determine whether speed, distraction or fatigue played a role. The truck’s engine control module can provide crucial data on speed and braking. If there was no attempt to slow down before the collision, that could suggest the driver either didn’t see the tractor or didn’t recognize it as a hazard in time to react.

Visibility on rural roads at night is always a concern. Were headlights from oncoming traffic creating glare? Were there hills or curves that limited the driver’s line of sight? These details should be carefully examined, along with the lighting conditions and any available dashcam footage.

It's also worth asking whether the tractor should have been on that stretch of road at that time. Was there an alternate route that would have been safer or more appropriate for a slow-moving vehicle? Was the tractor being used for work-related purposes, and if so, was the operator complying with all relevant safety regulations?

From a legal standpoint, determining liability in crashes like this requires looking closely at the behavior of both drivers. Just because one vehicle rear-ends another doesn’t automatically mean the driver of the rear vehicle is at fault, especially when the vehicle ahead is traveling significantly slower than the flow of traffic and may not have been properly equipped for nighttime highway operation.

Ultimately, this crash will come down to a straightforward but critical question: was the tractor reasonably visible, and did the box truck driver have time to respond? The answer to that will determine not just fault, but whether this crash was a inevitability or something that could and should have been prevented.