Chicago, IL — October 2, 2024, a Pennsylvania man was killed and three were injured after a semi-truck accident at 10:29 a.m. on State Route 59.

According to initial details about the accident, it happened in the area of Stimmel Street.

Officials say that a 54-year-old Pennsylvania man was in an 18-wheeler going along southbound lanes of the highway. The truck somehow veered left, resulting in a multi-vehicle collision. As a result of the crash, the Pennsylvania trucker was killed.

Three others reportedly had injuries due to the crash. Right now, additional details about the cause of the crash remain unconfirmed.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a commercial truck veers into opposing traffic, it’s tempting to focus only on what happened in the moment. But the reality is, crashes like this are rarely caused by a single action or decision. They’re usually the result of a chain of events—some visible, some buried in data, logs, or company policy.

In situations like this, the real work begins with evidence. That includes black box data showing how the truck was moving before the crash, in-cab video if available, and records that tell us how long the driver had been behind the wheel. Without that information, we don’t know if the driver was tired, distracted, suffering a medical emergency, or reacting to something outside of their control.

It’s also important to consider what role the trucking company may have played. Did they train the driver properly? Were they enforcing rest breaks? Was the equipment in good condition? I’ve worked on cases where the root cause of a crash wasn’t what happened at the scene—it was what had been allowed to happen in the weeks or months leading up to it.

Until a full investigation takes place, we can’t know what went wrong here. But we can be clear about what needs to happen next: collect the evidence, analyze it thoroughly, and let the facts guide the accountability.

Key Takeaways

• Commercial truck crashes often involve a chain of factors, not a single mistake.
• Black box data, dash cams, and driver logs are critical for understanding the cause.
• Company oversight—training, scheduling, equipment—may be just as important as driver behavior.
• Early assumptions don’t substitute for a full investigation grounded in evidence.
• Getting the truth requires looking at both the moment of the crash and everything that led up to it.