Faribault, MN — November 22, 2025, Jamie Wright was killed in a truck accident at about 8 a.m. on Lyndale Avenue North/Interstate 35 Business.

Authorities said a southbound 2014 Chevrolet Silverado crashed into a 2023 Peterbilt crane truck that was stopped at the intersection with 7th Street Northwest.

Chevrolet driver Jamie William Wright, 50, died from injuries suffered in the accident, according to authorities.

The driver of the crane truck was not hurt, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Rice County accident at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a pickup crashing into a stopped crane truck, one question comes to mind: How does something like that happen? Was the pickup driver not paying attention? Was the truck where it should have been? The reporting doesn’t tell us much, but that doesn’t mean the answers aren’t out there. It just means no one’s put them together yet.

To really understand who bears responsibility in a crash like this, you can’t just look at where the vehicles ended up. You need to dig into the evidence and reconstruct how things unfolded leading up to the impact. For example, it’s not clear whether the crane truck was stopped at a light, pulled over on the shoulder or stopped for some other reason. Each of those scenarios could carry different implications. If it was stopped in a live lane without warning, that’s a big deal. If it was legally stopped at an intersection, then questions shift toward the driver of the pickup.

But even that’s not the end of it. A full investigation would also look into whether the pickup driver was distracted. Was there a medical episode? Was a phone in use? Those aren’t guesses. They’re questions that can be answered with call logs, in-vehicle data and possibly even dash cams. Similarly, if the truck was equipped with an engine control module (ECM), that could show when it stopped, how fast it was going before that and whether it braked suddenly.

I worked a case a while back where a commercial vehicle was parked just over a hill with no hazard lights or cones. A motorist came over the rise and had no time to react. Everyone assumed he must have been speeding or not paying attention, but once the ECM data came in and visibility tests were done, it was clear the truck shouldn’t have been there. Assumptions gave way to evidence, and the picture of who was actually at fault changed completely.

Right now, we don’t know what caused this particular crash. What we do know is that the public record is silent on key details that matter: Where exactly was the truck stopped? Was it visible? Were there warnings? What was the pickup driver doing just before impact? Those questions aren’t nitpicking. They’re the difference between blame and accountability.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear why the crane truck was stopped and whether it was in a safe location.
• Critical evidence — like dash cam footage, ECM data and phone records — can help explain how the crash unfolded.
• Assumptions about fault can be misleading without a full investigation.
• Identifying who is truly responsible requires a close look at both drivers’ actions and vehicle data.
• Real answers depend on gathering and analyzing hard evidence, not guesswork.