Plymouth County, IA — April 10, 2025, Wesley Webb was killed following an 18-wheeler accident that occurred at around 8:45 A.M. on C38.

An investigation is underway into a car accident that left one person dead during the morning hours of April 10th. According to official reports, a Wesley Webb operating an 18-wheeler hauling grain and was traveling on C-38 in the eastbound lanes near Fawn Avenue, when for unknown reasons the truck lost control and left the roadway where it struck a ditch causing it to roll over and trapping Webb inside.

When first responders arrived on the scene, they extracted Webb and found that he had sustained serious injuries and he was transported to the hospital where he later died. At this time there has been no further information released about the accident, including what caused the truck to lose control, however this remains an ongoing investigation and more details may be released in the future.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

When I hear that an 18-wheeler left the roadway and rolled over with no known explanation, the first question I ask is: what caused the driver to lose control? That may seem like a basic point, but without knowing that, there’s no way to understand who—if anyone—failed in their responsibilities leading up to the crash.

There are several possibilities that need to be ruled out. Was there a mechanical issue with the truck? Tire failure, brake problems, or even a steering malfunction could all cause a vehicle to suddenly veer off the road. Answering those questions means examining maintenance logs, repair records, and any electronic data from the truck’s engine control module. If a mechanical failure played a role and that failure should have been caught earlier, then whoever was responsible for maintaining the truck may bear legal responsibility.

Another angle investigators should explore is whether the grain load was secure and properly distributed. An unbalanced or shifting load can easily cause a rollover, especially if the trailer was top-heavy or if the truck made a sudden correction. That brings the focus not just to the driver, but also to whoever loaded the grain. If it turns out the cargo shifted or wasn’t properly secured, then the party responsible for loading the truck may have contributed to the crash.

Finally, there’s the human element. Was the driver fatigued? Distracted? Facing some kind of emergency? Most people don’t realize that one of the first things an independent investigation will look at is cell phone records, driving logs, and even GPS history to piece together what was happening before the crash. It’s not enough to know the truck left the road. We need to know why it happened—and if someone failed in a duty that could have prevented it.

My concern with situations like this is that too often, official investigations rely only on what’s obvious at the crash scene. When that happens, mechanical failures, loading errors, or other behind-the-scenes mistakes can go unnoticed. But in my experience, getting to the truth requires going well beyond the crash site. That’s the only way to find out if someone failed in a way that made this crash inevitable.