Wilson County, KS — March 3, 2025, Heather Vanleeuwen was killed in a truck accident at about 8 p.m. on State Highway 39.

Authorities said a 2013 Ford Explorer was headed east near Benedict when it apparently clipped the front end of a westbound Kenworth semi-truck. The collision caused the SUV to leave the road and flip over.

Ford driver Heather I. Vanleeuwen, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash near Inman Road, according to authorities.

The truck driver was not injured.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a crash like this, they might assume it’s an open-and-shut case: one vehicle drifted out of its lane, made contact with an 18-wheeler, and the driver of the smaller vehicle suffered fatal consequences. But after decades of handling truck accident cases, I’ve learned that real crash investigations go far beyond what’s immediately obvious.

One of the first questions that needs answering is how the SUV ended up in the truck’s path. Did the driver of the SUV simply misjudge their position on the road? Was there an attempt to avoid an obstacle? Or did something about the truck’s movement contribute to the collision? Just because a smaller vehicle makes contact with a semi-truck doesn’t automatically mean the truck driver is blameless.

For instance, I’ve litigated cases where truck drivers failed to stay fully in their lane on two-lane highways, sometimes drifting over the centerline just enough to create a dangerous situation. Even a slight miscalculation on a road without much shoulder space can be enough to send another vehicle off course. That’s why it’s critical to obtain evidence like dashcam footage, witness statements and even the truck’s ECM data to confirm exactly where each vehicle was positioned before the crash.

Beyond that, night driving presents its own challenges. Visibility is lower, and headlights can create optical illusions that make distances harder to judge. If the SUV driver was responding to glare or struggling to see the truck’s position clearly, that could have played a role. The truck’s lighting, including its headlights and marker lights, should also be examined to ensure they were working properly and making the vehicle fully visible.

The bottom line is that crashes like these often involve more than just a momentary lapse in judgment by one driver. A proper investigation needs to go beyond the crash scene to determine if every factor — including the truck driver’s actions — was considered. Without that level of scrutiny, there’s a real risk that authorities might miss key details that explain what really happened.