Jackson County, MI — January 13, 2025, James Bevins was killed in a truck accident at about 4:45 a.m. on westbound Interstate 94.

Authorities said a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado crashed into a semi-truck that had jackknifed across the highway near Mount Hope Road due to the weather.

Chevrolet driver James Bevins, 75, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash north of Grass Lake, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a semi-truck jackknifes on the highway, it often leads to serious collisions, but the question of accountability isn’t always as straightforward as people might assume. Some may look at this crash and conclude that icy roads or other bad weather conditions were to blame. But in my experience, blaming the weather often overlooks the real issue: whether the truck driver or their employer failed to take necessary precautions to prevent the jackknife in the first place.

Jackknifing doesn’t just happen out of nowhere. Investigators need to look into key factors that may have contributed to the crash. Was the truck driver going too fast for road conditions? Did they brake improperly, causing the trailer to swing out of control? Did the truck’s tires have enough tread, and were the brakes in good condition? These details matter because, in many cases, jackknifing is preventable with proper driver training and vehicle maintenance.

Another issue is whether the trucking company had policies in place to keep their drivers safe during hazardous weather. Did they encourage drivers to slow down or pull off the road when conditions became too dangerous? Or was the driver under pressure to stay on schedule no matter what? I’ve seen plenty of cases where companies push their drivers to meet unrealistic deadlines, even when it puts lives at risk.

At this stage, we don’t know whether the truck driver, the trucking company or another factor led to this crash. But if authorities don’t go beyond the crash scene — examining driver training, company policies and truck maintenance records — there’s a real risk that key details could be overlooked. Ensuring accountability in a crash like this requires more than just pointing to bad weather. It takes a thorough investigation to determine whether this was an unavoidable accident or a preventable failure.