UPDATE (October 10, 2025): Authorities identified the victims killed in the accident as 63-year-old Vanessa Knowles, 66-year-old Donnie Briggs, 53-year-old Darla Parris

Jefferson County, MO — September 28, 2025, three people were killed and five were injured in a semi-truck accident at 3:27 p.m. along I-55.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol released preliminary details about the crash. It reportedly happened about a mile south of US 67, outside of Crystal City and Festus.

According to state troopers, traffic had built up along the northbound lanes of the interstate. As vehicles moved slowly, authorities allege that a semi-truck driver was inattentive and slammed into the line of vehicles.

Due to the crash, three people were killed. They were a 53-year-old woman in a Kia Optima and two 63-year-old women in a Toyota Camry. A 34-year-old man in a Dodge Ram and a 61-year-old woman in a Nissan Pathfinder had serious injuries. 3 others had moderate or minor injuries.

Right now, additional details surrounding the crash are under investigation.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When a semi-truck barrels into stopped traffic and kills three people, most people understandably focus on the driver’s alleged error. After all, if a professional driver fails to notice a backup on the interstate, the blame seems obvious. But the real question in a crash like this isn’t just what happened—it’s why. And in commercial trucking, the “why” often leads straight back to the employer.

If this truck driver was inattentive, we need to understand what caused that lapse. Were they driving fatigued after too many hours on the road? Were they distracted—possibly by dispatch communications, electronic logging devices, or their own phone? Were they under pressure to meet a tight deadline that left no room for caution?

In the hundreds of commercial vehicle accident cases I’ve worked, driver inattention was rarely a fluke. It was often a predictable result of poor oversight, overworked drivers, or a lack of meaningful safety protocols at the company level. Some employers would even hire drivers who already had a history of reckless driving, either neglecting proper background checks or simply ignoring red flags just to get trucks on the road.

This is why it's always frustrating when authorities begin and end their efforts at the crash scene. To be clear, investigations here are still early. It's possible authorities are already working to find not just what happened here but whether the crash could have been prevented long before the driver got behind the wheel. However, that's just not something I'd ever take for granted. When it comes to accountability for a wreck like this, it's best steps are taken early to ensure the crash is in the right hands.

Key Takeaways

• Driver inattention is often a symptom of deeper employer failures—like overwork, distraction, or poor supervision.
• Commercial trucking companies must be investigated when a crash suggests systemic issues, not just driver error.
• Proper accountability requires reviewing driver logs, dispatch records, and company safety practices.
• A serious crash in stopped traffic should raise immediate questions about training and monitoring.
• The “why” behind a crash is just as important as the “what”—and often points beyond the cab.