Jackson County, MO — January 21, 2026, a man lost his life due to a truck accident just after 2:30 p.m. along Interstate Highway 70.

According to authorities, a 28-year-old man was traveling in an eastbound BMW on I-70 in the vicinity west of Woods Chapel Road when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a collision occurred between the front-end of the BMW and the rear-end of an 18-wheeler's trailer.

The man from the BMW—who had reportedly sustained fatal injuries as a result of the collision—was declared deceased at the scene.

Additional details pertaining to this incident—including the identity of the victim—are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currenlty ongoing.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a passenger car strikes the rear of an 18-wheeler on the interstate and the result is fatal, many people assume the car’s driver must be at fault. But that assumption overlooks a critical legal and investigative question: Was the rear of the truck visible, well-marked, and operating as required under the law? Rear-end collisions involving commercial trucks are not always as straightforward as they appear.

In this case, the BMW reportedly struck the back of a trailer, but there’s no detail yet about what the truck was doing at the time. Was it moving slowly? Had it just entered the lane? Was it stopped in traffic? Any of those details could shift the analysis of fault considerably.

Investigators should focus on several key areas:

• Was the trailer properly marked with reflective tape and functional lights? Federal regulations require that the rear of a trailer be visible to approaching drivers under normal conditions.
• Was the truck moving, stopped, or merging? Rear-end impacts often occur when trucks are entering from ramps too slowly or stopping suddenly in active lanes.
• What were the traffic and lighting conditions at the time? Mid-afternoon typically offers good visibility, but shadows or congestion can still play a role.
• Did the truck driver take any evasive or unexpected action? Sudden lane changes or improper maneuvers can leave following drivers with no time to react.
• Was the BMW driver distracted, fatigued, or speeding? These questions must also be addressed before assigning blame.

I’ve handled cases where the truck met all visibility standards and the trailing driver simply wasn’t paying attention. But I’ve also seen cases where dirty or missing reflective tape, inoperative tail lights, or improperly parked trailers created a nearly invisible obstacle until it was too late. The difference between those two scenarios is critical—not just for liability, but for understanding whether the crash was avoidable.

Key Takeaways:

• While rear-end crashes often suggest fault by the trailing vehicle, truck visibility and movement are central to determining responsibility.
• Investigators must assess whether the trailer had proper lighting, reflectors, and conspicuity markings as required by law.
• The truck’s speed, lane position, and behavior leading up to the crash are as important as the actions of the BMW driver.
• Physical evidence, dash cams, and ECM data will be essential to establishing how and why the crash occurred.
• Assumptions about fault in truck rear-end collisions are often challenged by the facts uncovered during a full investigation.