Lackawanna County, PA — June 21, 2024, Edward Loftus was killed following an 18-wheeler accident at around 3:00 a.m. along Interstate 380.

Initial details from the Pennsylvania State Police say that the crash happened at the interchange from southbound I-380 to eastbound I-84.

According to officials, 60-year-old Edward Loftus was in a vehicle approaching the split for eastbound I-84. Police say that's when a tractor-trailer cut over from the right lane to the left lane, hitting Loftus in the process. As a result of the collision, Loftus sustained fatal injuries. No other injuries were reported.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

The truck driver involved was apparently arrested at the scene and now faces charges including involuntary manslaughter and recklessly endangering another person. Even if there weren't charges mentioned, it would be unlikely for something like this to happen without the truck driver doing something wrong. But even if driver error did contribute to the crash, that may only be part of the story the victim's family needs to know.

Across hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases, I've seen how truck accidents are rarely the result of a single mistake. There are often underlying issues that contribute to these accidents which charges against a reckless driver wouldn't be able to address on their own.

For example, was the driver pushed to meet unrealistic delivery schedules? A lot of companies pressure drivers—sometimes with a carrot, and sometimes with a stick—to cut corners, which inevitably leads to mistakes. Whether that's speeding, skipping mandatory rest brakes, trying to beat lights or make exits, or putting off necessary maintenance, prioritizing production and speed over safety is a recipe for disaster that any reputable company would be able to avoid.

Additionally, it’s essential to consider whether a driver was properly trained and qualified to handle a commercial vehicle. Some trucking companies cut corners during the hiring process, putting drivers on the road without adequate training or with histories of reckless driving. Whereas responsible companies would vet out those unqualified drivers, less responsible companies I've dealt with just cared about getting trucks moving without any regard for what might go wrong as a result.

When authorities look into crashes like this, they generally are just looking for charges to file. Once they've found someone to put the blame on, they tend to move on to other priorities. Perhaps they've been more thorough here, but I've never found it helpful to take that sort of thing for granted. It's almost always necessary to have independent investigations into why a crash happened and who all failed along the way to prevent it. All said and done, there could be multiple people who failed to prevent this crash who need to be held accountable.