Update (January 21, 2026): Authorities have identified the man killed in this accident as 76-year-old Arkansas resident Lonnie Kramer.

Galveston, TX — January 19, 2026, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 1:45 p.m. on Interstate 45/Galveston Causeway.

Authorities said a northbound Jeep crashed into the back of a flatbed truck carrying a flashing detour sign. One other vehicle was damaged in the crash, and another hit a retaining wall while attempted to avoid the collision.

The driver of the Jeep, whose name has not been made public yet, died after being transported to an area trauma center, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Galveston County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a crash involving a flatbed truck and a passenger vehicle, like the one recently reported on the Galveston Causeway, they often wonder: how could a vehicle slam into the back of a truck in broad daylight? Was the truck moving or stopped? Was the flashing detour sign functioning? These are the kinds of questions that deserve clear, evidence-based answers, yet they often go unasked or unaddressed unless someone pushes for a deeper investigation.

At the moment, the only thing we know for sure is that a Jeep rear-ended a flatbed truck carrying a flashing detour sign, resulting in one fatality. We don’t yet know whether the truck was stopped or moving at the time of impact, how fast the Jeep was traveling or how visible the truck and its sign actually were. Each of these factors could drastically change how we think about responsibility here.

Depending on whether the truck was part of an active construction zone, parked on the shoulder or moving slowly in traffic, different questions arise. If the truck was stopped in a live lane, for example, that raises concerns about proper signage, lighting and advance warnings. If the truck was moving but traveling far below the flow of traffic, its visibility and speed relative to surrounding vehicles become more important. And if the detour sign wasn’t functioning correctly, or was poorly placed, that could be a critical oversight.

One reason I bring all this up is because I’ve handled cases where improperly marked or positioned vehicles caused severe harm to unsuspecting drivers. In one particular case, a flatbed was carrying oversized cargo that wasn’t lit or flagged appropriately. The truck’s trailer had lights, the cargo didn’t. That gap in visibility made all the difference and ended in disaster.

Of course, determining what really happened here means pulling black box data from the Jeep and the truck (if available), reviewing dash cam or traffic camera footage and possibly inspecting the truck's detour sign to see if it met required standards. Investigators should also be looking at driver logs, cell phone records and the trucking company’s operating procedures to see whether corners were cut or protocols ignored.

Ultimately, it’s not enough to say, “Well, a car rear-ended a truck, so it must be the car’s fault.” That kind of assumption short-circuits the investigative process and lets potentially negligent actors off the hook. Getting to the truth means asking whether this crash could have been prevented, and who, if anyone, failed to do their part to keep the road safe.

Key Takeaways:

• It's not clear whether the flatbed truck was moving or stopped when the Jeep hit it. This is a key unanswered question.
• Investigators should examine visibility, signage, and vehicle positioning to understand whether the truck created an avoidable hazard.
• Rear-end crashes aren’t always the fault of the driver in back; context matters, and so does evidence.
• Black box data, dash cam footage and the detour sign’s functionality will be central to determining what happened.
• Accountability hinges on whether the trucking company and its driver followed proper safety protocols.