Cumberland County, PA — April 14, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 4:30 a.m. on eastbound Interstate 76/Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Authorities said a box truck hit a guardrail and onto a large embankment in Monroe Township before overturning when the driver steered back onto the turnpike.

The driver, whose name has not been made public yet, died in the crash, according to authorities.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a commercial box truck strikes a guardrail, leaves the roadway, and then overturns while trying to return to the highway, the first legal question that needs to be asked is: What caused the driver to lose control in the first place? These types of crashes often seem like isolated incidents, but in my experience, they’re rarely without warning signs.

The available information indicates the crash happened early in the morning, around 4:30 a.m., on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. That timing immediately raises concerns about fatigue. Commercial drivers operating in the overnight or early morning hours are at higher risk for drowsiness, and fatigue-related crashes don’t always look like someone falling asleep at the wheel. Even brief lapses in focus or slowed reaction time can lead to overcorrection, like what appears to have happened here.

The fact that the truck hit a guardrail and traveled onto an embankment suggests the driver may have veered off the road unintentionally. Attempting to reenter the highway from an uneven surface at speed is extremely dangerous, particularly in a top-heavy vehicle like a box truck. Overturning in that situation is unfortunately a common result.

The investigation should begin with an examination of the truck’s engine control module to determine the vehicle’s speed, braking and steering inputs in the moments leading up to and during the crash. Investigators should also review the driver’s hours-of-service records to assess whether fatigue may have played a role. Cell phone data and in-cab cameras, if available, may reveal whether distraction was a factor.

It’s also important to consider mechanical issues. Did a tire blow out? Was there a steering or suspension problem that caused the initial departure from the roadway? If maintenance was lacking, that could shift responsibility toward the company responsible for the truck’s upkeep.

And finally, road conditions matter. Was the roadway slick from weather? Was the shoulder narrow or sloped in a way that made recovery more difficult or hazardous? These are all questions that need to be part of a complete crash analysis.

This kind of crash doesn’t just come down to how the driver responded in a split second. It’s about what conditions, decisions or failures led to the need for that response in the first place. When a commercial truck leaves the roadway and someone ends up dead, the law isn’t just looking at driver error. It’s looking at whether the system surrounding that driver did its job. Because in commercial trucking, safety failures rarely happen in isolation, and someone needs to be responsible when they do.