Chemung County, NY — June 2, 2025, one person was killed in a truck accident at about 12:15 p.m. on Interstate 96/Southern Tier Expressway.

Authorities said a 2002 Chevrolet sedan was going the wrong way on westbound I-96 near Lowtown when it crashed into a semi-truck.

The Chevrolet driver, whose name has not been made public, died in the crash, according to authorities. The truck driver was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

The westbound lanes of the interstate reportedly were shut down for about six hours after the crash, which caused a diesel fuel spill.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Chemung County crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear about a fatal crash involving a car driving the wrong way on the interstate, the immediate assumption is often that the wrong-way driver is solely to blame. That could end up being true here, but it's not a conclusion we can responsibly jump to without answering some key questions first.

The available reports confirm that a Chevrolet sedan was going the wrong direction on westbound I-96 when it collided with a semi-truck. What we don’t know is why the sedan was on the wrong side of the highway. Was the driver impaired, disoriented or was signage in the area unclear or misleading? Without those details, we can’t know if the crash was the result of a personal mistake or a larger systemic failure.

We also don’t know enough about how the truck was involved in the crash. Was it traveling at highway speed in its lane, or had it made a sudden movement to avoid the car? Depending on whether the truck was moving, slowing or stopped, different questions arise. For instance: Did the truck driver have time to react? Was evasive action taken? Was the collision head-on, or did one vehicle strike the other at an angle? These details matter not just for clarity; they determine legal responsibility.

To answer these questions, investigators should look at dash cam footage (if available), engine control module (ECM) data and the truck's in-cab camera if it had one. Call records for both drivers could also reveal if distraction played a role. It's also worth considering the truck’s cargo. While there's no indication that it contributed to the crash, the reported diesel spill raises the question of whether the fuel tanks were ruptured due to impact, and whether any cargo instability made the situation worse.

Finally, given that the crash shut down the westbound interstate for six hours, it’s safe to assume this was a major event. But the fact that we still don’t know the cause a day later underscores a larger point: crashes like this demand more than just surface-level answers. They require a methodical investigation focused on data, driver history and the specific actions that led to the collision.

Key Takeaways:

• It's not yet clear why the Chevrolet was traveling the wrong way on the interstate.
• The truck driver's role in the crash — whether passive or active — remains unanswered.
• Dash cam, ECM and phone records are essential to understanding what happened.
• The diesel spill may indicate damage to the truck’s fuel system or raise cargo-related questions.
• Determining legal responsibility requires a thorough, evidence-based investigation.