Lee County, IL — June 9, 2025, Kevin Kain and a teenager lost their lives due to a truck accident at about 2:30 p.m. along Chicago Road.

According to authorities, a 16-year-old driver and 20-year-old passenger Kevin Kain were traveling in a westbound Chevrolet pickup truck on Chicago Road at the State Highway 251 intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, the pickup truck entered the intersection at an apparently unsafe time, failing to yield the right-of-way to highway traffic at a stop sign. This resulted in a T-bone collision between the front-end of a northbound 18-wheeler hauling a load of grain the left side of the pickup truck.

The 16-year-old reportedly sustained fatal injuries due to the wreck and was declared deceased at the scene; Kain suffered critical injuries, as well, and was flown to an area medical facility in order to receive immediate treatment. However, reports state that he was ultimately unable to overcome the severity of his injuries, having there been declared deceased. It does not appear that anyone from the 18-wheeler was hurt.

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 two young people lose their lives in a collision with an 18-wheeler at a rural intersection, it’s natural to focus on the stop sign violation that reportedly triggered the crash. But from a legal standpoint, the question isn’t just who had the right of way—it’s why did the pickup enter the intersection in the first place, and did the truck driver have any opportunity to prevent the outcome?

At intersections like Chicago Road and State Highway 251, stop-controlled cross traffic must yield to vehicles traveling on the highway. That much is clear. But what leads a driver—especially one with limited experience—to pull out at the wrong moment can stem from many things: obstructed views, sun glare, unclear lane markings, or even a simple but tragic misjudgment of speed and distance. Investigators should look closely at whether the driver could clearly see approaching vehicles and whether the intersection was designed to give them the time and information needed to make a safe decision.

At the same time, the truck driver’s behavior also matters. While they had the right of way, they were still responsible for driving at a safe speed and staying alert to developing hazards. If black box data reveals that the truck was traveling faster than the posted limit, or if there was a delay in braking once the pickup entered the intersection, that could complicate the liability picture. I’ve seen cases where a truck technically had priority but was moving too fast to respond when something went wrong—turning a survivable error into a fatal collision.

The angle of impact also raises questions. A T-bone collision to the driver’s side of the pickup suggests that the truck was fully engaged in the intersection before either vehicle could alter course. That’s often an indicator that the pickup’s entry was abrupt—but it doesn’t rule out the need to evaluate road design. Was there a hill, curve, or obstruction that limited sight distance? If so, that affects not only how the crash happened, but whether other similar collisions have occurred there before.

Key Takeaways

• The key issue is why the pickup truck entered the intersection when it was unsafe to do so—and whether the driver had a clear view of oncoming traffic.
• Road design factors like sightlines, signage, and visual obstructions should be examined to determine whether they influenced the teen driver’s decision.
• The truck’s speed and braking response—verifiable through black box data—will be important in assessing whether the crash was avoidable from the truck driver’s side.
• T-bone impacts typically suggest limited time for either driver to react, underscoring the importance of clear and predictable intersection design.
• Understanding what went wrong requires more than knowing who had the right of way—it demands a full reconstruction of how each driver made decisions in real time.