Reardan, WA — October 24, 2025, one person was killed and another was injured due to a garbage truck accident at approximately 10:30 a.m. along U.S. 2.
According to authorities, a man was traveling in a westbound car on U.S. Highway 2 in the vicinity east of Reardan when the accident took place. The exact location of the wreck has not been specified.
Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, the car veered left of center, entering the eastbound lane of the highway. An eastbound garbage truck allegedly attempted to swerve to the right toward the shoulder in order to avoid a collision with the car; however, the attempt was unsuccessful and a head-on collision occurred between the car and the garbage truck, each apparently catching on fire as a result.
The man who had been in the car reportedly sustained fatal injuries due to the wreck and was declared deceased at the scene. The person who had been behind the wheel of the truck suffered injuries of unknown severity, reports state; they were transported to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment.
Additional details pertaining to this incident—including the identities of the victims—are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a passenger car crosses the center line and collides head-on with a commercial truck, many people assume the case is clear-cut. But from a legal standpoint, even when one vehicle enters the wrong lane, the investigation doesn’t stop there. It shifts to whether the truck driver had any meaningful opportunity to avoid the crash—or if some other factor contributed to the severity of the outcome.
Here, authorities say the garbage truck driver attempted to swerve right to avoid the oncoming car but was unsuccessful. That raises an immediate question: Was the swerve the only evasive action possible, and was it executed in time? To answer that, investigators will need to examine engine control module (ECM) data, which can confirm speed, braking, and steering input in the moments before impact. Dash cam footage, if available, may also show how early the driver perceived the threat and how much space and time they had to react.
The fact that both vehicles reportedly caught fire adds another layer of concern. Fires in collisions like this are uncommon unless there’s a rupture in the fuel system or some kind of electrical failure. If either vehicle had maintenance issues, or if the truck was carrying materials that increased fire risk, that could have significantly worsened the outcome. Investigators should closely review the truck’s maintenance records, especially regarding fuel lines and crashworthiness.
It’s also important to understand the geometry of the road. Was this a blind curve or a stretch with limited visibility? Was the truck operating at or near the speed limit, or possibly over? If the car crossed over unexpectedly on a clear, straight stretch of highway, that’s one thing. But if the layout gave little warning, the legal picture becomes more complicated—even when the initial mistake was made by the passenger vehicle.
From a broader perspective, garbage trucks are heavy, slow to stop, and often less maneuverable than other commercial vehicles. Whether the driver could have realistically avoided the crash is something that needs to be evaluated based on data, not assumptions.
Key Takeaways:
- The passenger car reportedly crossed the center line, but the truck driver’s response must still be evaluated based on reaction time and available space.
- ECM data and dash cam footage will be key to determining how the truck was being operated in the seconds before impact.
- The post-collision fire raises questions about vehicle condition and potential maintenance failures.
- Road layout and visibility at the point of impact may influence whether avoidance was possible.
- Even in apparent wrong-way crashes, the full context matters in determining how—and whether—the collision could have been prevented.
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