Loving County, TX — August 14, 2025, Joshua Ramirez was killed in a truck accident at about 10:20 p.m. on State Highway 302.

Authorities said a westbound 2019 International semi-truck and an eastbound 2018 Chevrolet Silverado collided head-on near mile marker 203.

Chevrolet driver Joshua Andrew Ramirez, 39, of Lubbock died at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The truck driver, a California woman, was hospitalized with minor injuries, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Loving County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people read that a pickup and an 18-wheeler collided head-on on a remote West Texas highway, the natural question is: How could two vehicles traveling opposite directions end up in the same lane at the same time?

That’s not a trivial detail. It’s the difference between a freak accident and a preventable failure.

Authorities say the crash happened on Highway 302 in Loving County, with a semi-truck traveling west and a pickup traveling east. They haven’t said which vehicle crossed the center line, or why. That’s a major piece of the puzzle still missing. Depending on whether the truck drifted or the pickup veered, different questions arise, and different parties may be accountable.

If the 18-wheeler crossed the center line, we need to know what the driver was doing in the moments leading up to the crash. Was she distracted by a phone? Nodding off behind the wheel? Swerving to avoid something in the road? Each of those scenarios points to very different causes and potentially very different liabilities.

That’s where the truck’s electronic evidence comes into play. Most commercial trucks today are equipped with an engine control module, or “black box,” that can show how fast the vehicle was going, whether the brakes were applied and what steering inputs were made. In-cab cameras, if installed, can show whether the driver was looking at the road, or something else. And phone records can confirm or rule out distraction.

Beyond the crash itself, investigators need to look at the trucker’s employment history. Was she properly vetted and trained? Did the trucking company perform meaningful background checks before putting her behind the wheel? I’ve handled cases where companies hired drivers with multiple firings or red flags, only to be shocked when something went wrong. Trucking companies have a duty to make responsible hiring decisions, especially for jobs that put others’ lives at risk.

Unfortunately, none of those questions get answered unless someone insists on a thorough, independent investigation. Highway patrol reports rarely dig into things like hiring policies, onboard camera footage or cell phone metadata. That takes time, resources and the will to get to the bottom of things.

Until we have that kind of transparency, all we can say for certain is that a man is dead and a semi-truck was involved. Everything else — why it happened, who is responsible and what could have been done to prevent it — remains unanswered.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear which vehicle crossed the center line or why, leaving a major gap in the known facts.
• The truck’s ECM, in-cab cameras and driver phone records could help reconstruct the moments before the crash.
• Trucking company hiring and training policies should be scrutinized as part of the investigation.
• A full understanding of what happened requires more than a police report. It takes deep, independent investigation.
• Accountability depends on evidence, not assumptions.