A toddler, a young man, and a third victim are dead after an Amazon freight truck failed to slow down for stopped traffic on a Tennessee interstate — and now both Amazon and the trucking company are denying any responsibility.
The deadly crash occurred in May 2025 on Interstate 75 in Tennessee, when a tractor-trailer driven by Joseph Antoinier — working for Valparaiso Trucking Corp. and hauling freight for Amazon — slammed into stopped traffic at high speed.
Three people lost their lives: David Jeffery Huggins, 23-year-old Lane Smith, and a child who was not yet two years old. The devastating loss of an infant among the victims has made this case particularly heartbreaking.
A wrongful death lawsuit has now been filed on behalf of the Huggins family, naming Amazon, Valparaiso Trucking Corp., and driver Joseph Antoinier as defendants. The lawsuit claims negligence, vicarious liability, and failures in hiring, supervision, and safety oversight.
The suit alleges that Amazon set unrealistic delivery schedules and route expectations for carriers — contributing directly to the crash. Both Amazon and Valparaiso Trucking have denied responsibility, with Amazon stating the driver was a third-party contractor.
“These companies cannot hide behind contractor agreements when their policies put innocent lives at risk,” said an attorney representing the victims’ families.
This case raises serious questions about corporate accountability and the pressure placed on truck drivers to meet impossible deadlines on American highways.
