Black Hawk County, IA — January 6, 2026, a teen was killed in a truck accident at about 7:45 a.m. on South Canfield Road/State Highway 281.

Authorities said a Chevrolet Impala was turning south from Independence Avenue when it was hit by a semi-truck.

The Chevrolet driver, a 15-year-old girl, died from injuries suffered in the crash east of Waterloo, according to authorities.

The truck driver was not injured, authorities said.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that a young driver was killed in a collision with an 18-wheeler, their first question is usually: How could this happen? That’s a fair question, especially when the victim was just 15 years old, and the truck driver reportedly walked away unharmed.

Based on what's publicly known, a passenger vehicle was turning onto a highway when it collided with a semi-truck. But that one-sentence summary leaves out virtually everything we’d need to know to understand the crash, let alone determine who’s responsible. For example:

• Was the truck already on the highway, or was it also turning?
• Was either vehicle speeding?
• Did either driver ignore a signal or fail to yield?
• Were visibility or weather conditions a factor?
• Most importantly, what does the evidence say about each driver's actions in the moments before impact?

Right now, we simply don’t know. And unless someone pushes for a deeper investigation, we may never know.

One thing that tends to complicate cases like this is that public assumptions often fill the gaps that evidence hasn’t yet filled. People might assume the teen driver was inexperienced or made a mistake. Others may assume that the truck driver’s size and momentum automatically make him the one to blame. Neither assumption is helpful without facts to back it up.

In my experience, the only way to get those facts is through a structured investigation that looks far beyond the crash scene. For instance:

• Engine control module (ECM) data from the truck can show how fast it was going, whether it braked and whether the driver tried to steer away before impact.
• In-cab cameras, if installed, could reveal whether the truck driver was distracted or caught off guard.
• Cell phone records could confirm or rule out driver distraction.
• Surrounding businesses or homes may have surveillance footage that captured the crash or moments leading up to it.
• And witness statements, if any exist, could help fill in the timeline.

Beyond what happened in the moment, there’s also the question of whether the truck driver should have been on the road at all. Was he properly trained? Was he rested and alert? Was the trucking company doing its due diligence when they hired and monitored him?

I’ve handled cases where a truck driver had no business being behind the wheel: drivers with multiple job terminations, minimal training or glaring red flags in their driving history. In those cases, the crash wasn’t just about driver error; it was about a company cutting corners.

Until more information comes to light, all of this remains unknown. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the truth usually isn’t sitting out in the open. It has to be found, and that means digging into records, analyzing data and asking the hard questions that police reports alone don’t always answer.

Key Takeaways:

• We don’t yet know how the crash occurred or which vehicle had the right of way.
• Critical evidence — like black box data, in-cab video and phone records — can clarify who did what and when.
• Public assumptions about who’s at fault can be misleading without verified facts.
• A thorough investigation may uncover issues not just with driving, but with how the truck driver was hired, trained, or supervised.
• The goal isn’t to guess at blame. It’s to gather enough evidence to find out what really happened.