Lancaster County, NE — May 9, 2025, two children were injured due to a truck accident shortly before 5:45 p.m. along 148th Street.

According to authorities, two adults and two children were traveling in a northbound Honda Pilot that was at a stop on 148th Street waiting for oncoming traffic to clear in order to make a safe left turn onto Old Cheyney Road when the accident took place.

Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, the Pilot was rear-ended by an 18-wheeler, pushing it into the southbound lane of the roadway. There, it was involved in a secondary collision with an oncoming Jeep Cherokee.

Preliminary reports state that of the two children from the Pilot who were hurt, at least one was apparently seriously injured as a result of the wreck; they were transported to area medical facilities by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment. It is unclear whether any others were injured over the course of the accident. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

Commentary

When a family vehicle stopped to make a left turn is rear-ended by an 18-wheeler, especially with children in the back seat, the legal focus shifts immediately to the question of why the truck didn’t stop. In cases like this, where the impact forces a vehicle into oncoming traffic and leads to additional collisions, it’s a strong indicator that the crash wasn’t just severe—it was preventable.

Commercial drivers are held to a higher standard for a reason. They’re trained to maintain safe following distances, anticipate changing traffic conditions, and avoid exactly the kind of high-speed, high-force collisions that occurred here. A vehicle stopped to make a left-hand turn isn’t an unusual situation—it’s one that truck drivers should expect and be ready to handle. If the driver failed to see the stopped vehicle in time, the next question is why? Was the driver distracted? Fatigued? Traveling too fast for the road conditions? Any of these possibilities can form the legal basis for determining fault.

It’s also critical to examine the mechanical state of the truck. Were the brakes functioning properly? Was the load balanced in a way that allowed the truck to stop safely? Did the truck have enough stopping distance, or was it following too closely to react? These are technical questions that require inspection and data review, but they often uncover warning signs that point to systemic issues with truck maintenance or driver performance.

And if the truck was operating under a commercial carrier—as most 18-wheelers are—the company must be part of the investigation. Was the driver trained to recognize and respond to stopped traffic? Did the company pressure the driver to meet deadlines at the expense of safety? Was the truck properly maintained and inspected before being sent out on the road? I’ve seen far too many cases where unsafe practices at the company level directly contributed to crashes just like this one.

Getting to the bottom of a crash like this means asking the right questions and refusing to stop at surface-level explanations. Serious wrecks deserve serious investigation, not assumptions. Understanding why the truck failed to stop, whether mechanical or human factors played a role, and whether the company met its legal responsibilities is key to figuring out what might have happened. Getting clear answers to these questions is the least that can be done to help those affected find the clarity and closure they deserve.