Shreveport, LA — January 12, 2026, Terrance Pope was killed in a truck accident at about 1:45 a.m. in the 3300 block of Midway Avenue.

Authorities said a Chrysler sedan was heading east near San Jacinto Avenue when it crashed into a parked semi-truck.

Driver Terrance Pope, 34, died after being transported to a nearby hospital, according to authorities.

No other injuries were reported.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that someone died after hitting a parked semi-truck, the natural question is: How does something like that happen? On the surface, it may sound like the sedan driver made a fatal mistake, but in my experience, crashes involving parked 18-wheelers are rarely that simple.

The first issue is whether the truck was parked legally and safely. Truck drivers can’t just stop anywhere they like. There are rules about where and how they can pull over, especially on dark or narrow roads. If the truck was parked along Midway Avenue in a way that obstructed the flow of traffic or wasn’t properly lit, that opens the door to serious questions about the driver’s judgment and whether they followed basic safety protocol.

We also don’t yet know why the truck was parked there at all. Was the driver resting, broken down or unloading? Each scenario brings its own set of legal responsibilities. For instance, federal regulations require reflective triangles, flares or hazard lights when a truck is stopped on or near the roadway, especially at night. The crash happened at 1:45 in the morning, a time when visibility is low and the risk of a collision is higher. If the truck lacked proper lighting or warning signs, that could have played a major role in why this happened.

It’s also worth considering how this investigation should be handled. Far too often, parked-truck crashes get brushed off as the smaller vehicle’s fault without looking deeper. But to get a full picture, investigators need to examine dash cam footage, engine control module data and the truck’s lighting systems. Even something as simple as checking whether the truck’s hazard lights were activated can be crucial.

I’ve handled similar cases where a trucker parked just a few feet too far into a travel lane or failed to deploy warning devices, and that small oversight had fatal consequences. It’s details like that, not assumptions, that determine where accountability truly lies.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear whether the semi-truck was parked legally or safely at the time of the crash.
• A thorough investigation should focus on lighting, hazard warnings and why the truck was stopped.
• ECM data, dash cams and truck equipment checks can clarify the sequence of events.
• Just because a vehicle strikes a parked truck doesn’t automatically mean the driver is at fault.
• Accountability depends on the facts, not assumptions, and those facts require digging.