Chandler, AZ — May 8, 2025, a young girl was killed due to a multi-vehicle accident sometime around 9:00 a.m. along Loop 202.

According to authorities, the accident took place in the eastbound lanes of State Highway 202 in the vicinity of Kyrene Road.

Officials indicate that several vehicles were involved in the crash. Video and photographs of the scene which have been published in the news show a commercial dump truck, though it is unclear how it was involved in the incident.

An 8-year-old girl reportedly suffered critical injuries due to the crash; she was transported to a local medical facility by EMS in order to receive immediate treatment. However, she was ultimately unable to overcome the severity of her injuries, having there been declared deceased. Additional details pertaining to this accident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a crash involves multiple vehicles on a major highway and leaves a child dead, the most pressing legal question is not just how many vehicles were involved, but what allowed things to go so wrong in the first place. In my 30 years of handling serious commercial vehicle cases, I’ve found that when a dump truck shows up at the scene of a fatal crash, it usually plays a bigger role than early reports suggest. These aren’t lightweight vehicles—they’re heavy, hard to stop, and capable of doing massive damage if they’re not being operated with precision and care.

Right now, it’s unclear exactly how the dump truck was involved, but that doesn’t mean its role can be ignored. If it contributed in any way to the initial crash—or to the severity of the chain reaction—it has to be investigated thoroughly. Was the driver distracted? Was the truck following too closely? Did the driver misjudge a merge, a lane change, or a slowdown in traffic? Commercial drivers are trained to anticipate changes in traffic flow and keep enough space to react, especially in areas like Loop 202 where speeds are high and congestion is common.

There’s also the matter of how the dump truck was being maintained and whether it was fit to be on the road at all. Did it have properly functioning brakes? Were the tires in good condition? Was the load secure? I’ve seen countless cases where a dump truck’s poor condition—or the company’s neglect of routine safety checks—played a direct role in a crash that didn’t have to happen. And when a child is among the victims, those oversights become even harder to accept.

And if this truck was part of a commercial operation, then the company itself bears scrutiny. Was the driver qualified and properly trained? Were they on a safe schedule, or being pressured to rush through routes and cut corners? Did the company perform regular inspections, or was this just another day with a heavy vehicle running on worn-out equipment and unrealistic expectations?

Getting to the bottom of a crash like this means asking the right questions and refusing to stop at surface-level explanations. Serious wrecks deserve serious investigation, not assumptions. Understanding whether the dump truck’s involvement contributed to the crash, whether the driver was acting responsibly, and whether the company upheld its legal duties is key to figuring out what might have happened. Getting clear answers to these questions is the least that can be done to help those affected find the clarity and closure they deserve.