Racine County, WI — December 23, 2025, a man was killed due to a truck accident just before 10:30 p.m. along Northwestern Avenue.

According to authorities, a 31-year-old man was traveling in a motor vehicle on Northwestern Avenue at the Carol Road intersection when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a collision occurred between the man's vehicle and an 18-wheeler that had apparently been moving at a slower pace.

The 31-year-old—who had reportedly sustained fatal injuries over the course of the accident—was declared deceased at the scene. It does not appear that anyone else was hurt.

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

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a vehicle collides with a slow-moving 18-wheeler, especially at night, the question that immediately needs answering is why the truck was moving slowly—and whether the driver behind it had any chance to avoid the collision. Because unless a truck is just easing off a stop sign or navigating some known hazard, highway traffic doesn’t usually expect a semi to be crawling along a major road after dark.

Right now, it’s not clear whether the truck was accelerating, turning, disabled, or simply traveling below the posted speed for reasons unknown. Each of those scenarios carries different implications, and until that’s clarified, it’s difficult to assess where fault may lie. But it’s fair to say that slow-moving trucks—especially at night—pose risks that truck drivers and their employers are required to account for.

A few things investigators should focus on:

• Trailer visibility: Was the rear of the truck clearly marked with reflective tape and functioning lights? If the trailer was poorly lit or dirty enough to obscure reflectors, that could have made it nearly invisible until it was too late to react.
• Mechanical condition of the truck: Was the truck moving slowly because of mechanical problems? If so, was it still safe and legal for that vehicle to be on the road?
• Location and movement: Was the truck turning into or out of a driveway, backing up, or simply traveling unusually slowly in a traffic lane? Some of those maneuvers are prohibited or restricted depending on road type and local ordinances.
• Speed and behavior of the other driver: While the truck’s actions are under scrutiny, the investigation should also confirm whether the car driver was traveling at a safe speed, distracted, or impaired.

I’ve handled cases where a semi pulling out of a dark lot or making a wide nighttime turn became a deadly obstacle—not because the driver behind was reckless, but because the trailer presented little to no visual warning. Those kinds of cases often hinge on dash cams, vehicle lighting inspections, and time-stamped GPS data to reconstruct what each driver could realistically see and do.

At this point, we don’t know whether this was a preventable failure by the truck driver or an unavoidable situation. But the fact that someone lost their life in a collision with a slow-moving semi after dark demands a full accounting of the facts.

Key Takeaways:

• It’s still unclear why the truck was moving slowly or how visible it was at the time of the crash.
• Rear trailer lighting and reflective markings will be key to understanding whether the car driver had time to react.
• Investigators will also look at the truck’s mechanical condition, movement patterns, and whether any driving maneuvers contributed to the crash.
• The behavior of both drivers, including speed and attention, must be evaluated before assigning fault.
• Nighttime crashes involving slow or hard-to-see trailers are often preventable—but only if the proper precautions were taken.