New Rochelle, NY — September 9, 2025, one person was killed and another was injured in an early morning truck accident on Interstate 95/New England Thruway.

Authorities said a semi-truck and a box truck were involved in a crash that closed a southbound section of the highway.

One driver died in the crash and the other was hospitalized with unspecified injuries, according to authorities. Their names have not been made public yet.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Westchester County crash at this time. The accident is still under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When people hear that a crash between two trucks shut down part of I-95 and left one person dead and another injured, it’s natural to wonder: How does something like this happen between two professional drivers on a major highway? Was someone driving recklessly? Did one of the trucks break down? Or was something else at play entirely?

At this stage, authorities haven’t said much beyond confirming that one person died and another was hospitalized. But without more detail, it’s impossible to know which driver, if either, caused the crash, or whether someone else entirely played a role. That makes independent investigation crucial.

There are a few basic questions that need answers here. For starters, who hit whom, and why? Did one of the trucks rear-end the other? Was a lane change involved? Did one of the vehicles lose control due to a mechanical issue or a load shift? These are all scenarios that require very different types of evidence.

Depending on how the crash occurred, there could be black box data available from both trucks. Those engine control modules (ECMs) can tell us how fast each vehicle was going, whether the driver braked and whether cruise control was engaged. Likewise, cell phone records could show if either driver was distracted at the time. If either truck had dash cams or in-cab video, that would be another valuable tool to reconstruct what happened.

But it’s not just about the moment of impact. A good investigation also looks upstream. Were both drivers qualified to be behind the wheel? Did they get adequate rest before their shifts? Were their companies following safe hiring and training procedures? These are the kinds of questions that can make or break a case when determining who’s ultimately responsible.

I’ve handled more than a few cases where it turned out the driver who caused the crash should never have been hired in the first place. In one case, we found out the company skipped a full background check and never even gave the driver a real road test. So when the driver made a predictable mistake, it wasn’t just about individual error. It was about a company choosing not to screen for it in the first place.

Until authorities or investigators release more detail, we’re left with unanswered questions. But I can say with confidence that getting the full picture won’t come from a press release. It will come from digging into driver logs, internal company policies, onboard tech and eyewitness accounts, if any exist. That’s the only way to get past the uncertainty and toward real accountability.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s not yet clear which truck was responsible or how the crash between the semi and box truck occurred.
• Investigators will need to examine ECM data, dash cams, cell phone records and hiring practices.
• The cause could stem from driver error, company negligence, mechanical failure or a combination.
• Real answers come from thorough, independent investigation, not assumptions or early reports.