Columbia, MO — October 21, 2025, Roger Bone was killed in a truck accident at about 2:15 p.m. in the 1300 block of Rangeline Street.

Authorities said a dump truck loaded with gravel was turning north from Interstate 70 Business Loop when it hit a bicycle.

The bicyclist, 56-year-old Jefferson City resident Roger Bone, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, according to authorities.

The truck driver was not injured, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Boone County crash at this time.

Commentary

When people hear that a dump truck struck and killed a bicyclist in broad daylight, a natural reaction is to ask: How could that even happen? Was the bicyclist in the driver’s blind spot? Did the driver fail to yield while turning? Was the bike in a designated lane, or sharing the road? The limited information available right now leaves these critical questions unanswered, but they’re exactly what an effective investigation must sort out.

We know only that a gravel-hauling dump truck was turning from a business loop onto Rangeline Street when it hit the cyclist. That’s a basic outline, but it tells us very little about how the crash unfolded or who may be responsible. Depending on the precise position of the truck and the bicycle, and the timing of the turn, different scenarios raise very different liability questions.

For instance, if the bicyclist was proceeding straight in a bike lane and the truck turned across that path, that could point to a failure to yield. But if the cyclist was attempting to pass the truck on the right while it was already turning, that’s a different matter. Right now, it’s not clear which of those situations, if any, applies.

The key to finding out lies in the kind of evidence most people don't think about right away. In a case like this, investigators should immediately secure footage from nearby surveillance cameras or dash cams if available. The truck’s onboard systems, if it had them, could also provide valuable data, especially if the vehicle was equipped with blind-spot monitoring, turn signal logs or in-cab cameras. And cell phone records could rule out driver distraction, which is a real concern in commercial vehicle crashes.

It’s also important to ask whether the driver was properly trained to operate that truck in an urban environment with a mix of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. Driving a dump truck loaded with gravel requires more than just a commercial license. It demands real-world training on how to make tight turns safely, monitor blind spots and manage complex traffic conditions. In my experience, companies sometimes skip over that kind of training or don’t enforce route safety standards, especially when the focus is on speed and efficiency.

We also don’t know whether this driver had a clean record or if there were any red flags in his history. I’ve handled cases where companies hired drivers with prior safety violations or complaints and then turned a blind eye, only to regret it later when something preventable went wrong.

Until investigators gather and analyze that evidence, any assumption about blame is premature. But I can say this: accidents like this don’t happen in a vacuum. There's always a reason. The hard part is making sure we have all the tools and diligence to uncover it.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear from current reports how the bicyclist and truck came to occupy the same space during the turn. Critical facts are missing.
• Turn maneuvers involving large trucks and vulnerable road users raise questions about visibility, timing and yielding that must be investigated.
• Black box data, in-cab cameras and surveillance footage are essential for reconstructing how the crash happened.
• A thorough review of the driver’s background and the company’s training procedures may reveal preventable gaps.
• Assigning responsibility requires facts, not assumptions, and those facts must be secured before they disappear.