Mount Pleasant, SC — May 22, 2025, a bicyclist was killed in a truck accident about 12:15 p.m. on Long Point Road at the off-ramp from Interstate 526.

Authorities said a semi-truck crashed into a bicycle at the intersection of Long Point Road and the off-ramp from eastbound I-526.

The bicyclist, whose name has not been made public at this time, died after being taken to an area hospital, according to authorities.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a bicyclist is killed in a collision with a semi-truck, as happened on Long Point Road in Mount Pleasant, most folks just want to understand: How could something like this happen? Was it a matter of the bicyclist being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or did someone behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler make a mistake that could’ve been avoided?

As of now, the reports don’t tell us much. They confirm that a semi-truck hit a bicyclist at the off-ramp from eastbound I-526, but they stop short of explaining the crucial context: Was the truck turning? Was the cyclist in a crosswalk or bike lane? Was visibility an issue? Until those facts come out, we’re left with far more questions than answers.

It’s not clear whether the cyclist was already crossing when the truck arrived or if the truck had a green light and the right of way. Depending on whether the truck was accelerating from a stop or making a turn, entirely different legal questions come into play. These are the kinds of things that can only be resolved by a thorough investigation, one that looks beyond the crash scene and into the truck’s electronic data and the driver’s actions leading up to the crash.

Was the driver distracted, perhaps using a cell phone? That’s something call logs and text records can answer. Was the truck equipped with dash cameras or in-cab video? If so, there might be footage showing the moments before impact. What about the truck’s ECM, the “black box”? That could tell us how fast the vehicle was going, whether the brakes were applied and even how the steering was handled.

Another often-overlooked part of these investigations is the role of the trucking company. We don’t yet know who the driver worked for, but when I’ve handled similar cases, I’ve seen all kinds of hiring and training failures, from companies putting unqualified drivers behind the wheel to ignoring red flags in driving histories. Sometimes the company’s procedures, or lack of them, are what really allow these crashes to happen.

I once handled a case where a trucking company hired a driver who had been fired multiple times, then gave her a twenty-minute road test and called it “qualified.” The crash that followed wasn’t just the result of driver error; it was a failure of judgment from the top down.

The situation in Mount Pleasant may or may not involve those same issues. But until someone digs into the records, from hiring files to driver logs to maintenance reports, we’re all just guessing.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s unclear from current reports how the crash happened or who had the right of way.
• Vital questions remain unanswered, such as whether the truck was turning or the cyclist was crossing legally.
• Investigators should review cell phone records, dash cam footage and ECM data to establish the facts.
• Trucking company hiring and training policies should be examined to assess broader accountability.
• Real answers only emerge when the full scope of evidence is gathered and evaluated.