Gadsden County, FL — June 26, 2025, one person was injured in a truck accident at about 4 p.m. on westbound Interstate 10 near exit 192.

Authorities said a semi-truck ran off the road after its right steer tire blew out. The truck hit a large highway sign before crashing into a tree.

The driver, whose name has not been made public yet, was taken to a Tallahassee Hospital with serious injuries after the crash, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the crash, which caused traffic to back up for about four miles as emergency crews cleared debris from the road.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that a semi-truck crashed after a tire blowout, the natural reaction is to assume it was a freak accident, something no one could have seen coming. But in my experience, tire failures don’t just happen out of nowhere. They’re usually a symptom of something deeper, like lack of maintenance, equipment defects or even overloading.

Authorities say the truck in this crash veered off Interstate 10, hit a highway sign and slammed into a tree after the right steer tire blew out. That sounds straightforward, but it leaves us with more questions than answers. Chief among them: What caused the tire to fail in the first place?

A proper investigation should start with the physical evidence, specifically the tire itself. Was it underinflated? Was it past its service life? Was there visible damage or signs of a retread failure? These are the kinds of things that can point to neglect or even corner-cutting in how the truck was maintained.

It’s also worth asking: was this tire checked during the driver’s pre-trip inspection, as required by federal law? If it was, did the company train the driver properly to spot warning signs of tire wear or failure? These are questions that only a thorough review of the truck's maintenance records and driver logs can answer.

There’s also the possibility of a manufacturing defect. But proving that takes more than suspicion. It takes a tire expert, a preserved piece of evidence and often a legal fight just to access it. In many blowout-related crashes I’ve worked on, the trucking company or tire manufacturer is quick to dispose of or “lose” the tire unless someone steps in early to preserve it.

One thing that rarely gets mentioned in early reports is the role of technology. Most modern semis are equipped with engine control modules, basically the truck’s black box, that record speed, braking and other mechanical functions. That data can help confirm whether the blowout was truly sudden or if there were warning signs in the moments leading up to it. But no one will know unless that information is recovered and analyzed.

Finally, I’d want to know what kind of load the truck was carrying. An overweight or improperly balanced load can add dangerous pressure to the steer tires, increasing the risk of a blowout. And if that happened here, then we’re not just talking about a faulty tire; we're looking at a failure of planning and oversight.

Key Takeaways:

• A tire blowout may sound like an unavoidable mishap, but it often points to larger problems like poor maintenance or overloading.
• Investigators should recover and examine the failed tire to determine if it was defective, worn out or misused.
• ECM data and maintenance logs are critical to understanding what happened before the crash.
• Questions about driver training and company inspection policies often come into play when tire failures cause a crash.
• If the cargo load played a role, responsibility could extend beyond the driver to those who planned or approved the shipment.