Johnston County, NC — October 2, 2025, Golden Pierce was injured in a truck accident at about 1:10 p.m. on U.S. Route 70 near Princeton.
Authorities said a westbound 2024 Kenworth semi-truck ran a red light and hit a 2021 Kia Forte that was entering the highway from Edwards Road, forcing the smaller vehicle to overturn.
Kia driver Golden Gray Pierce, 78, of Princeton was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after the crash, according to authorities.
The truck driver was cited for running a red light, authorities said.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Johnston County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When people hear that an 18-wheeler ran a red light and hit a car, most assume it’s a cut-and-dry case: the truck driver is clearly at fault. And in this instance, that may very well be true. Authorities have already cited the truck driver for running the red light. But having handled many similar cases, I can tell you that a citation alone doesn’t answer the most important questions: Why did the trucker run the red light? And was there anything that could have prevented it?
These aren’t just academic questions. They go straight to the heart of how accountability works in truck accident cases. It’s not enough to say a mistake was made. We need to know what caused that mistake in the first place. Was the driver distracted? Fatigued? Inexperienced? Did a mechanical failure play a role? Or were company policies pushing the driver to make unsafe choices behind the wheel?
To answer those questions, investigators need access to real, verifiable evidence. That includes:
- Engine control module (ECM) data, which can tell us how fast the truck was going, whether the brakes were applied and what actions the driver took in the seconds leading up to the crash.
- In-cab camera footage, which could show whether the driver was distracted or failed to notice the light.
- Cell phone records, which might indicate the driver was texting or on a call at the time.
- Driver qualification and training records, which reveal whether the driver had a clean history or if there were warning signs the company ignored.
Depending on what that evidence shows, the responsibility for this crash could extend beyond the individual driver. I’ve seen cases where companies put drivers behind the wheel who had no business operating a commercial vehicle. Sometimes because they were desperate for drivers, other times because their screening procedures were laughably inadequate. In one case I handled, a driver who’d been fired multiple times for unsafe conduct was hired anyway, based on a 20-minute “skills test” that failed to reveal just how dangerous she really was.
The bottom line is this: A red light violation may seem like an open-and-shut case, but real accountability only happens when investigators dig into why the violation occurred in the first place. And that takes more than just a police report. It takes a deliberate, evidence-based investigation into the driver, the truck and the company that put him on the road.
Key Takeaways:
- A citation for running a red light doesn’t explain why the crash happened. It’s just the starting point.
- Critical evidence like ECM data, in-cab video and phone records can reveal the real cause.
- Company hiring and training policies may also bear responsibility if the driver was unfit or improperly supervised.
- Determining who’s at fault requires more than assumptions. It requires a full investigation.
- Accountability depends on uncovering not just what happened, but how and why it was allowed to happen.
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