Wrongful death lawsuit filed after Amazon, small carrier deny responsibility for driver’s part in fatal crash

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed in connection to a fatal pile-up crash on Interstate 75 in Tennessee last May naming companies that have already denied responsibility.

The accident happened in May of 2025 when a tractor trailer driven by truck driver Joseph Antoinier, who was working for Valparaiso Trucking Corp. hauling freight for Amazon, failed to slow for stopped traffic. 

The crash killed David Jeffery Huggins, 23-year-old Lane Smith, and an almost-two-year-old boy. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Huggins family. 

According to Chattanooga Times Free Press, the lawsuit claims negligence, vicarious liability, failures in hiring, supervision, and safety oversight. The suit names Amazon, Valparaiso Trucking Corp., and Antoinier, and alleges that Amazon set difficult schedules, routes, and delivery expectations for companies that were unable to meet the expectations safely. The suit alleges that the company had four safety violations in the year leading up to the crash, and cites the actions of Antoinier and the system that allowed him to haul freight for Amazon. 

Antoinier has been indicted on 2 counts of reckless homicide, several counts of felony reckless endangerment, and reckless aggravated assault. 

The owner of Valparaiso Trucking Corp. denies any responsibility for the wreck. He says that all seven of his drivers are owner operators, including Antoinier. He says that Antoinier is “not a rookie” and is “a grown man who’s been driving for years” and should hold the responsibility for his own actions.