A semi truck carrying canned drinks rolled off the side of Wolf Creek Pass on November 3, 2025, resulting in the death of the 23 year-old driver from New York. Shortly before the crash, the semi truck, a 2020 Freightliner, was seen speeding with smoke coming from its brakes. The driver also missed a runaway truck ramp 1.5 miles before he went over the edge of the pass.
It is possible that the young driver, who originated from New York, lost control on Wolf Creek Pass’s steep grade and hairpin turns. It appears he was going too fast to maintain control and struck a barrier before going over a guardrail and down the embankment.
Semi truck crashes are increasingly common on Colorado’s mountain highways. A driver must have proper training and experience to navigate the steep grades and sharp curves of Colorado’s mountain passes. We don’t yet know the exact cause of this fatal crash but driver inexperience or brake issues (or a combination of both) is likely.
If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a mountain semi truck crash, you need the best Colorado truck crash lawyer near you to help hold the trucking company or driver responsible and get you the compensation you deserve for your medical care.
Have you been injured in a semi truck accident?
CALL THE LAW OFFICES OF PETER M. ANDERSON FOR A FREE CONSULTATION – 303-444-1505
Colorado Mountain Driving is Not for Novice Truck Drivers
Colorado Mountains present challenges for skilled drivers. The Colorado Commercial Drivers License Manual contains a specific section addressing mountain driving. Drivers of commercial motor vehicles, like semi trucks, need to have the right training, skills, and experience to navigate Colorado mountain roads and highways safely. Accidents involving truck drivers inexperienced with Colorado mountain driving cause horrific crashes, catastrophic injuries, and deaths.
Whether going uphill or down, gravity plays a big role in safe mountain driving. Semi trucks climbing uphill need to use lower gears and respect the flow of traffic. A truck traveling too slowly for the flow of traffic is as much of a hazard as an out of control one. Colorado requires the use of hazard lights when a vehicle is not moving or traveling 25 miles per hour or less.
A 2014 study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) determined that brake issues were the primary cause in 29% of semi truck crashes. In fact, semi trucks with brake issues are three times more likely to be involved in a crash than a truck with well maintained brakes.
Brake failures are common occurrences for semi trucks navigating the mountains of Colorado’s I-70 corridor. The steep grades and sharp turns found on mountain highways and passes can be challenging for experienced truck drivers and deadly for inexperienced out-of-state drivers unfamiliar with mountain driving.
Using, and especially overusing, brakes can lead to fatal Colorado semi truck crashes. Overuse of the service brakes, such as when traveling downhill in the mountains, can cause overheating of the brakes. This degrades brake performance initially and can lead to an outright failure. Reports of smoke coming from the brakes of the semi truck in the Wolf Creek Pass crash, suggest the service brakes had overheated and failed.
Drivers need to know that engine braking, or the jake brake, needs to be used to control speed; while the service brakes should be used only to supplement the engine brake. Service brakes, which are similar to a standard car’s brakes, should only be used when necessary to slow or stop with traffic.
The Colorado Department of Transportation’s “The Mountain Rules” safety initiative aims to educate and prepare truck drivers to safely handle Colorado’s mountain roads. The series is designed to educate drivers, particularly out of state drivers, on important mountain driving issues, like preventing brake overheating:
The Best Truck Crash Attorneys Know to Investigate the Trucking Company
Blame for crashes involving inexperience often incorrectly fall on the driver. Truck accident cases cannot be handled like regular car crashes. Experienced trucking attorneys know that trucking companies have a responsibility to hire or train competent drivers to safely navigate Colorado’s mountain highways.
Information on the motor carrier is available from the Department of Transportation’s Safety and Fitness Electronic Records System (“SAFER“). Safer is a treasure trove of public data on every motor carrier operating in the country.
SAFER details the past 24 months of inspections, the carrier’s safety rating, how often a driver or CMV was placed out of service, and the out-of-service percentage compared to the national average.
SAFER also links to the DOT’s Safety Measurement System for every motor carrier. It provides a more detailed picture of the motor carrier’s fitness including its Behavior Analysis and Safety Improvement Categories (“BASIC”) score. Five of the seven categories are available to the public, including
1) violations for unsafe driving;
2) hours of service compliance;
3) vehicle maintenance;
4) controlled substance and alcohol usage; and
5) driver fitness.
A motor carrier with a history of violations, especially in the driver fitness and unsafe driving categories is a solid indication that they do not train or supervise their drivers appropriately.
In fact, motor carriers or trucking companies are responsible for the qualification, training, and supervision of every driver that operates under their Department of Transportation (DOT) number. Motor carriers are required to maintain records documenting their investigation into the safety and performance of any driver they hire. Motor carriers also must contact prior employers to determine if the driver was safe and skilled. Failure to contact previous employers is a major red flag for the safety of any trucking company.
This includes conducting road tests to ensure the driver has the necessary skills to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle. The bare minimum for any semi truck driver is having a valid commercial driver’s license (CDL). But a CDL alone does not mean a driver is qualified to handle Colorado mountain driving.
The best Colorado truck crash lawyers will go even further. Under the correct circumstances, they will be able to speak with former drivers, or other employees of the motor carrier. Driving a semi truck is a demanding job with long hours and significant time pressure. Speaking with former drivers can provide a window into a motor carrier’s culture and practices.
Trucking companies also have a responsibility to select or monitor the routes their drivers take. Motor carriers cannot encourage or coerce drivers to operate in an unsafe manner, or longer than they are legally able to. Doing so can force a driver to take a more dangerous route through a pass or roadway they may otherwise avoid or not have the experience to safely complete.
All of these factors separate a commercial truck crash case from a routine auto accident or personal injury case. The best Colorado truck crash attorneys will not stop at the driver and will fight insurance companies and trucking companies to understand the real cause of a mountain truck crash.
A semi truck driver’s failure in conditions they were ill-prepared for is the responsibility of their employer. You need experienced truck crash attorneys who know what to look for and how to prove the motor carrier failed to properly train a driver before putting them on the road.
If you are a victim of a commercial motor vehicle crash caused by untrained or inexperienced drivers, you need a Colorado truck crash attorney with the experience and education to win hazardous weather accident cases. You cannot simply find a car accident attorney near you and expect to get the compensation you deserve for personal injury claims from a complex truck crash.
Attorneys at the Law Offices of Peter M. Anderson have the experience and education necessary to handle complex truck accident claims. Peter M. Anderson is board-certified in truck accident law by the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys, one of only two such qualified in the state of Colorado. He can navigate the complex federal regulations applicable to your injury claims. He has a history of successfully holding negligent truck drivers and trucking companies responsible in serious truck crash cases. Call the Law Offices of Peter M. Anderson, Colorado Truck Accident Lawyer, at 303-444-1505 today.