Rosedale, CA — June 27, 2025, Raul Inguanzo Jr. was killed and two others were injured in a truck accident shortly after 12:30 a.m. along Stockdale Highway.

According to authorities, 39-year-old Raul Inguanzo Jr., of Bakersfield, was traveling in an eastbound 2021 Freightliner tow truck on S.H. 58 in the vicinity west of the Driver Road intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a westbound 2018 Freightliner 18-wheeler failed to safely maintain its lane of travel. It reportedly veered left of center and entered the oncoming lane of traffic. There, it was involved in a collision with the 2021 tow truck. Also involved in the wreck was a Honda Odyssey. After the initial collision, the 2018 Freightliner apparently struck a power pole and also caught on fire.

The two people who had been behind the wheels of the 2018 Freightliner and the passenger vehicle sustained moderate injuries and were transported to area medical facilities by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment. However, Inguanzo suffered fatal injuries, according to reports, and was declared deceased at the scene.

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 people hear that an 18-wheeler crossed the center line and caused a fatal crash, most assume the truck driver was at fault—and that might end up being true. But there’s a big difference between guessing what happened and proving it. Right now, we don’t know why the westbound big rig veered into oncoming traffic along Stockdale Highway near Rosedale, California. That unanswered question is the key to understanding not just what happened, but who is responsible.

It’s not enough to say a crash occurred—we have to dig into how and why. Was the driver distracted? Fatigued? Under pressure to meet a delivery deadline? Did a mechanical failure or load shift contribute to the truck veering off course? None of that is clear from the early reports. And until investigators look at things like cell phone records, dash cam footage, or black box data (what we call the engine control module or ECM), no one can say for sure what caused this crash.

Another area that demands scrutiny is the trucking company’s role. What kind of hiring and training standards were in place? I’ve handled cases where companies hired drivers with a long list of red flags, then turned them loose on public roads with barely any supervision. In one instance, a driver who’d been fired multiple times was evaluated with a single 20-minute road test before being hired. That’s not just careless—it’s setting the stage for a disaster.

When an 18-wheeler crosses into oncoming traffic, it doesn’t just happen out of nowhere. Something caused it, and someone either allowed it to happen or failed to prevent it. We won’t know the truth until a thorough investigation examines the evidence—not just at the crash scene, but behind the scenes, inside the truck, and inside the company that put it on the road.

Key Takeaways:

• It's not yet clear why the westbound 18-wheeler crossed the center line—critical evidence is still missing.
• Phone records, black box data, and in-cab cameras could help determine whether distraction, fatigue, or mechanical failure played a role.
• The trucking company’s hiring and training practices may also come under scrutiny depending on what the investigation reveals.
• Determining accountability requires more than assumptions—it requires hard evidence and independent analysis.
• Only after the facts are in can the right people be held responsible for what happened here.