Andrews County, TX — June 12, 2025, a Denver man was injured in a truck accident at about 1:50 p.m. on State Highway 128 near the New Mexico border.

A preliminary accident report indicates that a 2016 Freightliner semi-truck was headed north on R.M. 1218, the state lane, when it collided with a 2014 Freightliner semi-truck going east on S.H. 128. Both trucks caught fire after the crash.

The driver of the newer truck, a 39-year-old Denver man, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. His name has not been made public yet.

The other driver, a 28-year-old man, was not injured, the report states.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When two semi-trucks collide and catch fire, most people instinctively want to know what exactly went wrong? Fires like that don’t just happen on their own. A crash severe enough to ignite not one but two big rigs suggests a violent impact, and that raises serious questions about how the vehicles came together in the first place.

According to the initial report, one truck was traveling north on R.M. 1218 and the other headed east on S.H. 128. But the report doesn’t say who had the right of way, whether either driver stopped at a sign or if one of them failed to yield. Until we know that, we can’t say who, if anyone, was at fault. Depending on whether the trucks entered the intersection at the same time or if one was already turning or stopped, the legal picture could change entirely.

It’s also unclear whether either truck was speeding, distracted or improperly routed. That’s where black box data becomes critical. These engine control modules can tell us how fast a truck was going, whether the brakes were applied and even how long the driver had been operating without rest. Many trucks also have dash cams or in-cab monitoring systems, tools that can answer questions no witness ever could.

And then there’s the fire. When both trucks go up in flames, it raises red flags about potential fuel system failures, cargo hazards or even defective crash guards that allowed one truck’s structure to rupture the other’s tank. Was the cargo flammable? Were there trailer defects that worsened the post-collision fire? The damage from the fire might obscure other important evidence unless investigators act fast.

In past cases I’ve handled, we’ve seen how quickly physical and digital evidence can disappear. One fire-damaged truck in a rural crash I handled was towed and scrapped within days, before we had a chance to retrieve the ECM or check for camera footage. Without that data, the family never got the answers they deserved.

That’s why early investigation is so important. Until all the evidence is gathered and examined, no one can say for sure who’s to blame, or if this was something that could have been avoided.

Key Takeaways:

• Both trucks caught fire, pointing to a violent impact and raising concerns about fuel system and cargo safety.
• The crash report doesn’t say who had the right of way or what traffic control existed at the intersection.
• Black box data, dash cams, and company driver policies will be key to understanding what happened.
• Fires can destroy vital evidence; quick recovery and preservation efforts are essential.
• Accountability depends not just on driver behavior but also on the decisions made by the trucking companies that put them on the road.