UPDATE (September 4, 2025): Recent reports have been released which state that the 37-year-old man who had been behind the wheel of the 18-wheeler may have been fatigued or asleep at the time of the wreck. No additional information is currently available. Investigations remain underway.

Sherman, TX — August 21, 2025, Janet Phillips and Lawrence Anderson were killed due to a multi-vehicle truck accident along U.S. Highway 75.

According to authorities, 51-year-old Janet Phillips and 20-year-old Lawrence Anderson were traveling in a southbound passenger vehicle on U.S. 75 in a construction zone in the vicinity south of Farm to Market 691 when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, an 18-wheeler collided with the rear-end of a car before catching on fire. Also involved in the wreck were three other vehicles: a passenger car, and two other 18-wheelers, bringing the total to five vehicles.

Phillips and Lawrence, who had been occupants of one of the passenger cars, reportedly sustained fatal injuries over the course of the accident. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When an 18-wheeler barrels into slowing traffic in a construction zone, the first question isn’t about the number of vehicles involved—it’s why the truck failed to stop in time. Early updates now raise the possibility that the driver was fatigued or asleep, which, if confirmed, would turn this from a question of bad luck into one of preventable negligence.

Fatigue behind the wheel of a commercial truck is every bit as dangerous as alcohol or drugs. Federal hours-of-service rules exist to keep drivers from reaching that point, but in my experience, those rules are often bent or ignored. Sometimes it’s the driver making poor choices; other times it’s the company creating schedules so demanding that safe rest is impossible. Either way, if fatigue played a role, then the responsibility doesn’t end with the man behind the wheel—it extends to the systems that put him there.

The investigation will need to answer key questions:

• What do the driver’s logs and electronic logging device (ELD) show about his recent hours on duty?
• Did cellphone records or in-cab cameras capture signs of distraction or fatigue?
• What does the truck’s ECM data reveal about speed, braking, and throttle use in the moments before impact?

It also matters that this happened in a construction zone. Drivers approaching narrowed lanes and slowed traffic are required to exercise heightened caution. If a trucker failed to adjust for those conditions, that’s a critical failure of judgment. If the company sent him through while he was dangerously tired, that’s a failure of oversight.

Two people are now gone, and others are left to grapple with the aftermath. The answers won’t come from speculation—they’ll come from records, black box data, and a clear-eyed look at whether the driver, the company, or both ignored the safeguards meant to prevent exactly this kind of disaster.

Key Takeaways:

• The central question is why the truck failed to stop in a construction zone with slowed traffic.
• Reports raise the possibility of driver fatigue or sleep, which investigators must confirm through logs, ELDs, and other records.
• ECM data, cellphone records, and in-cab cameras can help clarify what was happening in the cab before the crash.
• If fatigue played a role, company scheduling and oversight are as relevant as the driver’s conduct.
• Accountability depends on whether safety rules designed to prevent this exact scenario were followed—or ignored.