Adams County, IN — July 8, 2025, Thera Raugh and a 16-year-old boy were killed in a truck accident at about 8:30 a.m. on U.S. Route 27.

Authorities said a 2024 Hyundai Sonata was heading south when it crashed into an eastbound 2003 Freightliner semi-truck on State Route 124 near Monroe. The sedan ended up wedged under the truck's trailer.

The Hyundai driver, a 16-year-old boy, and his mother, 41-year-old Thera J. Reagh, were 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 Adams County crash at this time. The accident still is being investigated.

Commentary

When people hear about a crash where a passenger vehicle ends up wedged under the trailer of an 18-wheeler, they naturally want to know: How did that happen? Was the truck moving at the time, or was it already in the intersection? Who had the right of way? And more importantly, what evidence exists to help answer those questions?

At this point, there’s still a lot we don’t know. The reports say the sedan was traveling south on U.S. Route 27 and collided with a semi-truck heading east on State Route 124. But depending on whether the truck was already in the intersection or just entering it, different liability questions arise. If the truck pulled out in front of the sedan, that’s one scenario. If the sedan ran a stop sign or light, that’s another. Unfortunately, the basic facts don’t tell us which happened.

That’s why a real investigation can’t stop at surface-level observations. The key to getting to the truth is evidence; specifically, data that can show us exactly how and when each vehicle entered the intersection. For the truck, that starts with the engine control module (ECM), sometimes called the black box. It records speed, braking, gear changes and other vehicle actions in the moments before a crash. In some cases, it even tells whether the truck was accelerating or decelerating at the time of impact.

Beyond that, we’d want to know if the truck had dash cams or in-cab cameras. Many modern fleets use them, and those recordings can be some of the clearest, most objective evidence available. Did the truck driver have a clear view of traffic? Did the sedan appear suddenly, or had it been visible for some time? These are the kinds of details cameras can help answer.

It’s also important to look at driver behavior and background. Was the trucker distracted by a cell phone? Only a review of phone records will answer that. What about the driver’s hiring and training history? I’ve handled cases where drivers were put behind the wheel after minimal vetting, and it ended in disaster. One case involved a driver who had been fired from multiple jobs, yet was hired after a 20-minute road test that supposedly proved he could handle a big rig under all conditions. It didn’t.

Finally, while authorities say the investigation is ongoing, families affected by crashes like this often find that official investigations don’t always go as deep as they should. That’s why it’s so important to secure critical evidence quickly, before it's lost or overwritten. ECM data, camera footage, phone records and personnel files don’t stay around forever.

Key Takeaways:

• It's unclear whether the truck or the sedan had the right of way at the time of the crash.
• The truck’s black box, dash cam footage and driver phone records are critical to determining what happened.
• Evidence collection should include not just the crash itself but also the trucker's driving history and hiring records.
• Without a full investigation, key facts could be lost, making it harder to know who should be held accountable.
• Real answers come not from assumptions, but from the story the evidence tells.