Update (August 20, 2025): Authorities have identified the driver killed in this accident as Jeffrey Wendt, 53 of Mason.

Ingham County, MI — August 18, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 7:40 a.m. at Howell Road and State Highway 52/Stockbridge Road.

Authorities said a vehicle was heading east on Howell when it collided with a southbound semi-truck at the intersection with M-52 south of Webberville.

The driver of the smaller vehicle, a 53-year-old man from Mason, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities. His name has not been made public yet.

The truck driver was not hurt, authorities said.

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

Commentary

When people hear about a fatal crash involving a semi-truck at a rural intersection, the first thing they tend to wonder is: How could two vehicles end up in each other’s path like that? Did someone run a red light? Did one of the drivers fail to yield? And perhaps most importantly, are we hearing the full story?

At this point, reports only say that a smaller vehicle was going east on Howell Road and collided with a semi-truck headed south on M-52. What’s not clear is how they came to be in the same space at the same time. Was one of the drivers trying to beat a light? Was there even a light at this intersection? Did one of them roll through a stop sign? Those answers matter, and they don't appear to be available yet.

In my experience, when a semi is involved in a fatal crash like this, a thorough investigation has to go beyond the physical damage at the scene. It needs to dig into things like dash cam footage, black box data and driver logs. For example, was the truck driver distracted? If he was on the phone, that would show up in call records. If his truck had in-cab cameras, as many do, we might be able to see whether he was paying attention or reaching for something in the cab.

And then there’s the truck itself. Was it speeding? Did it brake suddenly? Did it roll through the intersection instead of stopping? Engine control module data can often answer those questions. But none of that gets uncovered unless someone demands it.

Beyond the truck driver, there's also the role of the trucking company. What was their hiring process like? Did they screen the driver properly? I’ve handled cases where a company put someone behind the wheel who had no business operating an 80,000-pound vehicle, and they only found out after the fact, when it was too late. That kind of negligence isn’t obvious unless you peel back the layers and look at training records, safety history and driving evaluations.

As it stands, there’s a serious lack of detail about what actually caused this crash. Without answers to those open questions, we’re left guessing, and families affected by these incidents deserve more than guesswork. They deserve the truth, backed by evidence.

Key Takeaways:

• Reports don’t yet clarify which driver had the right of way or how the vehicles ended up in each other’s path.
• Critical evidence — like black box data, dash cam footage and phone records — can help reconstruct what happened.
• Trucking company hiring and training practices may come under scrutiny if the driver’s conduct played a role.
• Determining fault requires a full investigation, not assumptions based on vehicle size or outcome.
• Getting to the truth means collecting every available piece of evidence, not just what's obvious at the scene.