Family of man killed by truck on I-78 files lawsuit

The family of a man who was killed by a tractor trailer while pushing his broken-down vehicle on I-78 near Allentown, PA has filed a lawsuit against the truck driver and the trucking company, alleging their negligence led to their loved one’s death.

On June 16, 2025, New Jersey resident Tyler Kolaja, 33, was driving eastbound on Interstate 78 in Northampton County, PA when his car stalled alongside a broken-down tractor trailer on the right shoulder. Mr. Kolaja activated his hazard lights, got out of his car and attempted to push it onto the shoulder, with his girlfriend steering. A truck driver with Goce Enterprises, LLC and JP Express Service Inc. slammed into Mr. Kolaja and his vehicle, killing him.

The lawsuit alleges the truck driver fell asleep at the wheel immediately before the crash, and it accuses all defendants of negligence and recklessness, the trucking companies with negligent and/or reckless hiring/supervision/retention and includes a wrongful death charge and a survival action. The truck driver was charged criminally with several counts including homicide by vehicle.

The lawsuit also names Lobsang TNY Inc, the trucking company for the truck that was stopped on the shoulder, as a defendant.

The complaint is linked here, and a statement follows from Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan and attorney Clancy Boylan:

“The safety of our highways depends on trucking companies and their drivers managing their workloads and limiting fatigue so they remain safe and alert at all times. Because of JP Express Service and their driver’s alleged failure to do so, a young man was needlessly killed. Mr. Kolaja’s family hopes this lawsuit can save other families from experiencing the anguish of losing a loved one by compelling the defendants and the trucking industry at large to take crucial safety regulations more seriously.”

This case is being handled by Morgan & Morgan’s national trucking practice, which has a strong track record of achieving justice for victims of catastrophic trucking crashes throughout the country, including a $31.8 million verdict in Nashville, a $29 million verdict in Chester County, PA, a $26.2 million verdict in Philadelphia, a $23 million settlement in Philadelphia and an $11.9 million verdict in Philadelphia.