Lakewood, WA — April 4, 2025, one person was injured in a truck accident at about 3 p.m. on Interstate 5 near Berkeley Avenue Southwest.

Authorities said an Audi sedan has headed north near mile marker 124 when struck a barrier on the left side of the highway and veered back onto the road, where it was hit by a semi-truck. The Audi ended up sideways on the left shoulder, partially blocking the HOV lane, while the truck continued driving.

The Audi driver, a 29-year-old man whose name has not been made public, was hospitalized with potentially serious injuries after the crash, according to authorities.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Pierce County crash. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a car strikes a barrier and then gets hit by a semi-truck moments later, most people instinctively see it as a two-part crash caused by the car’s initial mistake. But from a legal standpoint, it’s not that simple, especially when the truck involved keeps going after the impact.

Let’s start with what we know: the Audi hit a barrier, rebounded into traffic and was then struck by a semi-truck. That sequence of events raises immediate questions about timing, reaction and awareness. Most importantly, we have to ask whether the truck driver had enough time and distance to see the disabled vehicle and take evasive action. Even if the Audi was out of control for a few seconds, commercial drivers are trained to anticipate and respond to exactly these kinds of unexpected hazards.

The fact that the Audi ended up sideways on the left shoulder, partly in the HOV lane, tells me that it didn’t completely leave the roadway after the first impact. That means other drivers likely had some opportunity to avoid it, especially a professional driver trained to operate a large commercial vehicle in high-speed traffic. Whether the truck driver saw the car and whether they could have avoided hitting it are two different questions, but both need to be answered.

What makes this more concerning is that the semi-truck reportedly continued driving after the collision. That raises a red flag. Did the truck driver realize they hit the Audi? If not, why not? Commercial trucks are equipped with mirrors and, more and more frequently, dashcams and sensor systems that can detect contact with another vehicle. If the driver kept going, investigators will need to determine whether it was because they were unaware, distracted or chose to leave the scene.

The truck’s engine control module could provide key information here: speed, braking, throttle position and steering inputs at the time of the crash. Authorities should also review the truck’s route, GPS data and any dashcam footage to understand whether the driver made any attempt to avoid the crash or even noticed it at all.

It’s easy to look at this crash and assume the Audi’s initial impact with the barrier set everything in motion. But in my experience, that doesn’t absolve the commercial driver of responsibility if they failed to react appropriately, or if they knowingly left the scene. A full investigation is needed to understand exactly how much time the truck driver had to respond, what actions were taken and whether they met the standard of care expected of a professional behind the wheel.

Because on a busy interstate like I-5, a crash like this doesn’t just come down to who made the first mistake. It comes down to who had a chance to prevent it and didn’t take it.