Abdiaziz Adan, Sharmarke Ali Killed in Single-Vehicle Truck Accident on I-90 in Bozeman, MT
UPDATE (January 25, 2023): Recent details identified the victims killed in the crash as 33-year-old Abdiaziz Adan and 36-year-old Sharmarke Ali. No further information can be confirmed at this time.
Bozeman, MT — January 20, 2023, two people died when a semi-truck ran off Interstate 90 and crashed in Bozeman.
Authorities say the incident happened around 3:20 a.m. on eastbound I-90 near the East Main Street interchange. Preliminary investigation suggests the area's roads were icy when the truck driver may have lost control while traveling east on the freeway. The truck ran off the road just before a bridge deck, crashed through a guardrail, and came to rest on or by railroad tracks running beneath the bridge.
Responders extricated both the truck's occupants but pronounced them dead at the scene.
No further information is currently available.
Accidents like this one just reinforce just how hard a profession truck driving really is. Just getting from A to B safely in 40 tons of steel and fiberglass is plenty challenging even in optimal conditions, but they rarely are considering all the extenuating circumstances truckers face. Blown tires, subtle problems or defects overlooked during maintenance, shifting cargo, medical emergencies, and yes—hazardous weather conditions can all contribute to a terrible wreck, yet in many cases all people see is a driver losing control before deciding he must have done something wrong.
Is it impossible that some sort of driver mistake was involved in the Bozeman crash? No, but it's also far too soon to suggest it. Sadly neither of the people who experienced the crash are able to clarify things, so investigators must find the clear facts and evidence to do so instead. Whether that means forensic scene analysis, examining the truck's Electronic Control Module (ECM) data and dashcam footage, searching for witnesses and cross-checking their accounts, looking at the truck's maintenance records, or obtaining and understanding a dozen other sources of information, the most important thing is to find the whole story for the people who need and deserve it. I just hope law enforcement has the training, time, and tools to get that done in Montana.
