Truck Driver Traveling 72 MPH Causes Chain-Reaction Accident That Kills 6 People
On November 14, 2023, tragedy struck on Interstate 70 in Ohio. According to a final report released September 24, 2025, by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a tractor-trailer failed to slow down for stopped traffic and slammed into the rear of slow-moving vehicles at an estimated speed of 72 mph. This triggered a devastating chain-reaction collision.
The accident involved five vehicles, including a chartered motor-coach carrying high school students, other passenger vehicles, and another commercial big-rig. Ultimately, the crash claimed six lives and injured 41 more. Among those who were killed were three students from the bus and three adult passengers.
The investigation
According to the NTSB, the likely cause of the truck accident was the driver’s “inattention and failure to respond” to visibly slowed traffic ahead. The report also cited the following contributing factors:
- A large speed difference between the truck and slower vehicles ahead (traveling at 3 – 15 mph) escalated the severity of the crash.
- The lack of an in-vehicle driver monitoring system meant there was no automated way to detect or correct the driver’s inattention.
- Inadequate strategies for traffic queue monitoring and ineffective traveler or incident-warning communications contributed to the crash.
- After the collision occurred, a post-crash fire broke out, quickly spreading from one vehicle to the next.
Even though the NTSB could not conclusively determine why the driver was inattentive, the systemic and technological failures were substantial.
Legal and personal injury implications
You see this kind of accident a lot. A tractor-trailer rear-ends several vehicles that are stalled in traffic, leaving several people dead and several families shattered. Driver inattention is generally the cause of these accidents. Large commercial big-rigs roll to a stop—they can’t stop suddenly. If the driver isn’t paying attention to the traffic ahead, then a major accident can occur. Such accidents generally occur during traffic jams and in work zones.
- Providing negligence and causation – From a civil standpoint, establishing negligence will probably focus on the driver’s failure to respond to slowed traffic. Since this was a commercial truck, additional standards apply. The operator and the trucking company may be liable under theories of negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent supervision, and failure to implement life-saving technologies.
- Damages and losses – Victims and families can pursue damages against the trucking company that employed this driver. The victims and their families can pursue damages for medical bills, long-term disability, pain and suffering, loss of income, loss of consortium, and in wrongful death claims, funeral and burial expenses.
- Expert witnesses – Expert testimony will be a vital element of this litigation. Accident reconstruction specialists, engine/black box data, driver records, and whether the truck had monitoring or collision avoidance systems installed or disabled. The NTSB’s call for stronger standards, which includes mandating driver monitoring systems and advanced collision warning, could have saved six lives.
Talk to a Jacksonville, FL, Truck Accident Lawyer Today
Gillette Law represents the interests of Jacksonville residents who have been injured by a commercial vehicle. Call our Jacksonville personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment and learn more about how we can help.
