Houston, TX — September 12, 2025, Jeff Hufstetler was injured in a truck accident at about 8:10 a.m. on westbound Interstate 10/East Freeway.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2021 Freightliner semi-truck collided with a 2012 Dodge Charger while changing lanes east of the U.S. Route 90 junction, knocking the other vehicle into a 2015 Honda Odyssey. The van hit three motorcycles, causing them to crash.

Jeff Hufstetler, who was riding a 2008 Harley-Davidson FLT, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report.

The woman riding with him was listed as possibly injured, as were the other motorcyclists and another passenger, the report states.

The driver of the Charger and the two people in the Honda suffered possible injuries as well, according to the report.

The truck driver, who was not hurt, was cited for changing lanes when unsafe, the report states.

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

Commentary

When people hear about a crash involving multiple motorcycles, cars, and an 18-wheeler, their first question is often, “How could that even happen?” That’s a fair question, and one that deserves more than just a citation on a police report. Especially when the crash leaves several people seriously hurt and raises concerns about how much the public is being told.

According to the information available, a semi-truck reportedly made an unsafe lane change and triggered a chain reaction involving a sedan, a minivan and at least three motorcycles. One rider was seriously injured. Others were possibly hurt as well, but the extent of their injuries hasn't been confirmed.

The truck driver was cited for making an unsafe lane change. That might sound like the case is cut-and-dried, but the reality is often more complicated. A citation isn’t the same thing as evidence. To truly understand what happened here, someone will need to dig deeper.

Why did the truck make an unsafe lane change? Was the driver distracted? We don’t yet know whether cell phone records have been reviewed. If the truck had in-cab cameras, a feature many fleets now use, that footage could show whether the driver was paying attention, fatigued or even dozing off. Another key piece of evidence is the engine control module (ECM), sometimes called the truck’s black box, which records speed, braking and steering data that helps show exactly how the truck was being operated before and during the crash.

And that’s just the start. Unsafe lane changes don’t happen in a vacuum. Was the driver properly trained? Was the company enforcing reasonable driving schedules? Had this driver been involved in previous incidents? In a case I handled not long ago, a driver who caused a serious crash had been fired from several jobs before being hired again with minimal vetting. The company that put her behind the wheel didn’t do its homework, and people paid the price.

When a crash involves motorcyclists, the risk of serious injury skyrockets. They don’t have the protective shell of a car or the benefit of airbags. That means any mistake by a commercial driver is more likely to have devastating consequences. But assigning blame based only on who got hurt won’t get to the truth. That requires evidence, and a lot of it.

Key pieces of that evidence are probably already in the hands of the trucking company. If someone doesn’t act quickly to obtain dash cam footage, ECM data and driver logs, those records can be “lost,” sometimes conveniently so. That’s why I always emphasize the need for an independent investigation. The official report may be a starting point, but it’s rarely the final word.

Key Takeaways:

• A trucker’s unsafe lane change triggered a multi-vehicle crash, but the true cause requires deeper investigation.
• Cell phone records, dash cam footage and black box data are crucial to understanding the truck driver’s behavior.
• It’s not clear whether the driver was distracted, fatigued or poorly trained. Each possibility raises different accountability questions.
• Injuries to multiple motorcyclists highlight the extreme risks when commercial drivers make sudden moves in traffic.
• Evidence in truck crash cases can quickly disappear if steps aren’t taken to preserve it through independent investigation.