Kearney County, NE — October 13, 2025, a teen was killed in a truck accident at about 12:40 p.m. on U.S. Route 34 near Axtell.

Authorities said an eastbound 2013 Volkswagen Jetta was trying to turn left onto State Highway 44 when it was hit by a westbound 2019 Peterbilt semi-truck hauling an empty fuel tanker.

A 13-year-old girl who was riding in the Volkswagen died after being transported to an area hospital, according to authorities.

Both drivers were treated for minor injuries after the crash, authorities said.

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

Commentary

When people hear that a teen lost her life in a crash involving an 18-wheeler, their first reaction is often: “How could something like this happen?” That’s the right question to ask, but not the only one. From a legal perspective, the key is to dig into what each vehicle was doing in the moments leading up to impact and whether anything could have been done to avoid it.

Authorities say the car was turning left when it was hit by an oncoming semi-truck. That raises immediate questions about timing, visibility, speed and right-of-way. Depending on whether the turn signal was activated in advance, how far away the truck was when the car began its turn and how fast it was traveling, responsibility could fall in different directions.

But here's what we don’t know, and what matters most. Was the truck driver distracted? Was he speeding? Did he brake too late or swerve unexpectedly? These aren’t idle questions. They’re fact-based inquiries that can be answered by reviewing the truck’s engine control module (the black box), dash cam footage if available and the driver’s cell phone records. Without that evidence, no one can definitively say who’s responsible.

We also don’t yet know what kind of training the truck driver had or what hiring and supervision practices his employer followed. I’ve handled cases where drivers were put on the road without proper vetting, or where trucking companies cut corners to save time or money. That kind of institutional failure doesn’t always make the news, but it can be a hidden factor in why crashes like this occur.

Depending on how the facts shake out, this could turn out to be a case of misjudged timing by the car’s driver, a failure to yield by the truck driver or even a shared fault scenario. But the key point is this: accountability isn’t about speculation. It’s about evidence. And unless someone takes the time to gather that evidence and analyze it properly, the truth may never come to light.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear whether the truck or the car had the right-of-way at the time of the crash; that depends on timing, speed and driver behavior.
• Crucial evidence — like black box data, dash cams and cell phone records — will be needed to determine what really happened.
• Investigators should also examine the truck driver's training, driving history and the company’s hiring practices.
• Responsibility may fall on either driver or both, but any conclusion must be based on verified facts, not assumptions.