Basic Facts

Crash date: June 27, 2026

Crash location: The intersection of Shadow Mountain Drive and Silver Springs Drive in El Paso, Texas

People involved:

  • Missy Roberta Aguilar, 25
  • Jennifer Campos, 25
  • Jonathan Rizo, 25

Do authorities suspect alcohol played a role in this crash? unknown

Did authorities recommend criminal charges? unknown

Do authorities suspect a product defect caused the crash? unknown

Accident Report

June 27, 2026, Missy Aguilar was killed and Jennifer Campos and Jonathan Rizo were hurt in a car accident sometime in the morning on Shadow Mountain Drive.

According to authorities, three 25-year-olds—Missy Aguilar, Jennifer Campos, and Jonathan Rizo—were traveling in an SUV on Shadow Mountain Drive in the vicinity of the Silver Springs Road intersection when the accident took place. Officials indicate that the SUV may have been traveling at high speeds. It apparently failed to safely negotiate a curve in the roadway and ended up hitting a curb and leaving the roadway. It apparently came to a stop after colliding with a couple of rock walls.

Aguilar—who had reportedly suffered fatal injuries over the course of the accident—was declared deceased at the scene. Campos and Rizo suffered serious injuries, as well, reports state; they were transported to local medical facilities by EMS in order to receive necessary treatment. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time. The investigation is currently ongoing.

How Did This Accident Occur?

It might be tempting for some, without more details, to make the assumption that the cause of this accident must have been driver error. I’m not so eager to settle on that conclusion, just yet, though. Why? Because I have been in this line of business for over three decades. In that time, I have seen plenty of similar cases in which thorough investigation managed to uncover evidence of less likely causes. Sometimes things don’t turn out to have been how they initially appeared on the surface.

Understand, I’m not trying to insinuate that I have more information about this specific accident than is already available to the public. As far as I am personally aware, driver error—whether it was caused by distraction, fatigue, impairment, et cetera—remains on the table as a possible cause. However, I would like to suggest a hypothetical. What if the wreck was a result of something gone wrong with the SUV itself, rather than driver error. For example, maybe the excessive speed was a result of brake failure? Or perhaps its throttle had somehow gotten stuck in the open position? I know, these things are not very likely, but neither are they altogether impossible.

Beyond that, I would be interested to know how well the SUV’s safety features performed in the wreck. Did the airbags deploy like the should have and in a timely manner? Did the seatbelts function the way that they were designed to? If these things were faulty in any way, then it is possible that the victims’ injuries ended up being more serious than they should have been.

An in-depth vehicle inspection done by trained professionals in a laboratory setting would be able to shed light on any mechanical malfunctions or product defects that played a role in the wreck or its outcome. These inspections are not necessarily routine in most accident investigations, though, so a special request might have to be made. If the authorities do not actually have the wherewithal to get one done, then a third-party investigation can always be brought in to do so, instead. That way all the bases are covered.

After all, when all is said and done, the people affected by this accident—including the loved ones left behind by the deceased victim—deserve more than the vague assumptions that often result from surface-level investigation. What they truly need are real answers backed by solid evidence that will give them a clear and detailed understanding as to not only how this accident occurred, but also why things ended up the way they did.

What are your thoughts on this accident? Do you believe my suggestions have merit, or am I just brewing a storm in a teapot? Be sure to leave a comment below letting me know what you think.

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