Update (June 4, 2025): Relatives have identified the people killed in this accident as Jamirron Gray Jr and Lila Hill.

St. Joseph County, MI — May 23, 2025, two people were killed in a truck accident at about 5:30 p.m. on U.S. Route 131 near Constantine.

Authorities said a car was crossing the highway on North River Road when it was hit by a semi-truck.

Both people in the car, a 22-year-old Elkhart man and a 23-year-old Elkhart woman, were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities. Their names have not been made public yet.

The truck driver was not injured.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the St. Joseph County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a fatal crash between a semi-truck and a car crossing a highway, the first question they usually ask is: How did this happen? That’s exactly the right place to start. Unfortunately, the initial reports about the crash near Constantine don’t offer many answers.

We know that a car was crossing U.S. Route 131 from North River Road when it was hit by a semi. That tells us where the crash happened, but not why. Was the car crossing lawfully with a clear view of traffic? Was the truck speeding or distracted? Did either driver have a reasonable chance to avoid the collision? These are critical questions, and right now, we don’t have the answers.

To figure out what really happened here, investigators will need more than just witness statements. They’ll need to gather objective evidence; things like dash cam footage, the truck’s black box data (also called the engine control module or ECM) and the driver’s cell phone records. If the truck had in-cab cameras, those could help show whether the driver was paying attention. If not, was the company taking steps to monitor safety?

Depending on whether the truck had the right-of-way or the car was trying to beat traffic, different questions arise. For example, was the truck traveling at a safe speed for that area? Was the driver fatigued or distracted? If the car was stopped waiting to cross, did the truck have enough time and distance to react? If not, why not?

And we can’t stop with the truck driver. In many of the cases I’ve handled, the root cause of a crash wasn’t just driver error; it was the company that put the driver on the road. What kind of screening and training policies does the trucking company have? Did they check the driver’s background before hiring him? These questions are especially important in fatal crashes where two people lost their lives.

At this point, authorities say the crash is still under investigation. That’s important, because the decisions made early in a case like this can affect what evidence is preserved, or lost. If no one pulls the ECM data or collects the driver’s phone records, that window can close fast. And once that happens, we’re left with far more questions than answers.

I've worked on cases where a company claimed their driver did nothing wrong, until the ECM showed he was going 20 mph over the speed limit. I’ve seen drivers deny distraction, until cell phone records proved they were texting just before the crash. The truth doesn’t usually come out on its own. It has to be found.

Key Takeaways:

• It's not clear who had the right-of-way or whether either driver had time to avoid the crash.
• Objective evidence like black box data, dash cam footage and cell phone records will be crucial to determining fault.
• An investigation should also examine the truck driver’s background and the company’s hiring and training practices.
• Critical evidence can disappear quickly if not preserved early in the investigation.
• Accountability depends on what the evidence reveals, not assumptions or early guesses.