Houston County, GA — December 16, 2025, two people were injured in a truck accident at about 1 p.m. on Interstate 75 north of Perry.

Authorities said a Freightliner semi-truck was heading north when its left front tire blew, causing it to lose control and cross the median. It collided with a southbound Freightliner semi-truck near the Perry Parkway exit.

The driver and a passenger in the truck with the tire malfunction were hospitalized with unspecified injuries, according to authorities.

The other truck driver was not hurt, authorities said.

Authorities have not released any additional information about the Houston County crash at this time.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When most people hear that a semi-truck blew a tire and crossed into oncoming traffic, their first reaction is probably, “Well, it was just an accident. What can you do about a blown tire?” But as someone who investigates and litigates these kinds of crashes, I’ve learned that a blown tire is rarely the whole story. The real question is: Why did it blow, and could it have been prevented?

Tire failures are one of the most common mechanical issues on commercial trucks, but that doesn’t mean they’re unavoidable. Tires fail for a reason; often because they were underinflated, overloaded or past their service life. In some cases, the tire itself may be defective. But we don’t know yet which of those possibilities, if any, apply here. And without that information, it’s premature to conclude this was just bad luck.

More importantly, depending on how the truck behaved once the tire gave out, there are deeper questions to answer. For example: Did the truck's engine control module (ECM) record any data about speed, braking or steering inputs at the time of the blowout? Was the truck equipped with in-cab cameras that might show whether the driver responded appropriately or panicked? Was the truck already unstable due to poor maintenance, improper loading or some other factor that turned a blown tire into a full-blown loss of control?

We also don’t know whether the company that owns the truck had policies in place to regularly inspect and replace worn tires, or if they pushed their fleet past safe limits to save money. I’ve handled cases where a tire failure was ultimately traced back to a company that routinely skipped safety checks or ignored warning signs. When that happens, it’s not the tire or the road conditions that are to blame; it’s the people making decisions behind the scenes.

And let’s not overlook this: two people were injured and hospitalized. They were in the truck that crossed the median, but that doesn’t automatically mean they’re at fault. We don’t yet know who was driving. We don’t know whether the truck lost control due to a mechanical failure or driver error. We don’t even know if both people were employees of the trucking company or if one was a passenger just along for the ride. All of these unknowns are critical to understanding who’s actually responsible.

Until a full investigation is done — including analysis of black box data, maintenance logs and driver records — it’s impossible to say for sure what caused this crossover collision. But experience tells me that simply blaming the tire doesn't go nearly far enough.

Key Takeaways:

• A blown tire may have triggered this crash, but the key question is what caused the tire to fail in the first place.
• Mechanical failures often reveal deeper problems with maintenance practices, training or company oversight.
• Electronic data from the truck and in-cab cameras could help clarify how the driver responded and whether the crash was avoidable.
• The roles and responsibilities of each person in the truck are still unclear and must be investigated.
• Only a thorough, independent investigation will determine whether this was truly an unavoidable accident, or the result of preventable mistakes.