Update (April 1, 2025): Authorities have identified the man who was killed in this crash as Maryland resident Junior Rodriguez Rivera, 36.

Centre County, PA — March 24, 2025, one person was killed and three others were injured in a truck accident at about 6:20 a.m. on U.S. Route 322/Mount Nittany Expressway.

Authorities said a Chevrolet pickup was headed west when it crashed into an eastbound semi-truck in the 5700 block of Mount Nittany Expressway. The impact knocked the truck into the westbound lane, where it hit two other vehicles.

The pickup driver, a 36-year-old man, died after being transported to a local hospital, according to authorities. His name has not been made public yet.

The other three drivers involved in the Boalsburg crash were hospitalized as well, but authorities said they were released after being treated for unspecified injuries.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Centre County crash at this time. The accident is still being investigated.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Crashes where a vehicle crosses into oncoming traffic and hits a semi-truck are often violent, complex and deeply disruptive, not only to those directly involved but to everyone trying to understand how something like this happens in the first place. In this case, authorities say a westbound pickup collided with an eastbound semi on U.S. Route 322, setting off a chain reaction that sent the truck into additional westbound vehicles. One person was killed and three others were injured.

The first and most important question here is: What caused the initial collision between the pickup and the truck? Did the pickup driver lose control, suffer a medical emergency or attempt a risky maneuver? Or did the truck drift even slightly across the center line at the wrong moment? While preliminary reports suggest the pickup crossed the centerline, the exact sequence of events — and why they occurred — needs to be pinned down through crash reconstruction and witness accounts.

Another layer worth examining is the role of the roadway itself. U.S. 322 through this area functions as a high-speed expressway but may not offer the kind of physical separation — like a median barrier — that can prevent crossover collisions. If this stretch of road has a history of centerline crashes, that would put added pressure on transportation officials to consider whether additional safety features are warranted.

The fact that the semi-truck, after being hit, entered the opposite lane and struck two other vehicles also illustrates how quickly a single error can spiral into a multi-vehicle crash. When a commercial truck is involved, the consequences are amplified by the sheer mass of the vehicle. Even if the truck driver doesn't appear to be at fault, they can become an unwilling part of a situation with little time to react and almost no margin for correction.

At this point, the investigation is still in progress, and not all facts are known. But if the focus stays only on the immediate impact without asking the deeper questions, then those affected by this crash will not have the answers they need about what happened.