1 Killed, 1 Injured in Car Accident on Loop 281 in Longview, TX

Longview, TX — December 4, 2024, one person was killed and another was injured in a multi-vehicle crash just before noon on Loop 281.

Authorities said three vehicles were involved in the crash, which occurred about 11: 49 a.m. when a silver SUV was struck by another vehicle as it pulled out of a private driveway near Ray Avenue.

That impact forced the SUV into oncoming traffic, where it was stuck by a dump truck, according to authorities.

The SUV driver died at the scene, authorities said, while another person was transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police have not released any additional information about the crash at this point.

Authorities are still investigating the crash.

Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman

Authorities haven’t said too much about this collision, so there are plenty of unanswered questions. Police are often focused on clearing wrecked vehicles from the road and restoring traffic flow, but the need for those affected by the crash to obtain answers shouldn’t be an afterthought. Those affected by the crash deserve a top-notch investigation.

What does a thorough investigation look like? To start, investigators should gather all available electronic data, ranging from the information recorded by the vehicles’ engine control modules to available video from nearby businesses and relevant cell phone data. This sounds obvious, but in my three decades of litigating wrongful death cases, I’ve seen countless instances where this evidence wasn’t promptly secured and ended up lost or overwritten.

Of course, a good investigation is more complicated than just witness statements and analysis of physical evidence from the scene. Most crash investigations don’t give too much thought to potential vehicle defects. Why? In most instances it comes down to training and resources. If your primary focus is on getting traffic moving again, preserving vehicles so that they can be forensically examined (the only sure-fire way to diagnose a vehicle defect) probably isn’t a high priority. And even for investigators inclined to consider vehicle defects, they often lack the necessary labs and budget to conduct such an examination.

Why does this matter? In my opinion, when people have their lives turned upside down, the least they deserve is the full truth regarding why it happened.