Mesquite, TX — October 20, 2024, one person was injured in a car accident at about 2:30 a.m. on southbound Interstate 635 near Interstate 30.
A preliminary accident report indicates a 2014 Cadillac ATS crashed into a 2018 Dodge Journey that was apparently unoccupied in the right lane. The impact forced the Dodge to overturn, while the Cadillac hit a concrete barrier.
The driver of the Cadillac, a 27-year-old Mesquite woman, was seriously injured in the crash, according to the report. Her name has not been made public at this time.
Authorities were unable to find anyone who may have been in the Dodge before the crash, the report states.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Dallas County crash.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a serious crash involves a moving vehicle colliding with an unoccupied one left in an active traffic lane, the situation raises far more questions than it answers. While the collision itself is clear, the circumstances surrounding why a vehicle was left in the roadway — and whether it could have been seen or avoided — deserve close scrutiny. As always, the investigation must begin with three key questions: Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Has anyone considered whether a vehicle defect contributed to what happened? And has all relevant electronic data been collected and preserved?
First, it’s critical to understand how and why the 2018 Dodge Journey came to be abandoned in an active lane of Interstate 635 at 2:30 a.m. That’s not a detail that can be ignored, especially on a major highway in the middle of the night. A thorough investigation should determine whether the vehicle broke down, ran out of fuel, was involved in an earlier, unreported incident or was intentionally left behind. Investigators should also assess whether the Dodge had its lights or hazard signals on and whether the Cadillac driver had any realistic opportunity to avoid it under the circumstances. These are the kinds of details that can only be confirmed through scene documentation, interviews and physical evidence collection: steps that aren’t always taken if the investigation assumes the blame lies solely with the striking vehicle.
Second, the question of vehicle defects is highly relevant to both vehicles involved. Starting with the Dodge Journey, if it experienced a mechanical or electrical failure — such as engine stall, transmission lock-up or loss of electrical power — it could have ended up immobilized in a live lane. If so, and if the hazard lights or taillights didn’t work, that would drastically reduce its visibility. On the Cadillac’s side, any failure in the headlights, braking system or driver-assist technology could have influenced the outcome. Both vehicles should be preserved and inspected for signs of mechanical failure or systems malfunction that may have played a role in the crash or its severity.
Finally, electronic data is essential in reconstructing what happened. The 2014 Cadillac ATS likely has an engine control module that stores speed, braking, throttle and steering data in the seconds leading up to the crash. That data can confirm whether the driver had time to react or whether the vehicle attempted to avoid the impact. If the Dodge Journey still has power or if its system logs can be accessed, investigators may be able to determine when it was last operated, whether it experienced a fault and possibly how long it had been stationary before the collision. In addition, surveillance or traffic cameras, as well as roadside assistance records, may offer insight into the timeline and circumstances surrounding the Dodge’s presence in the lane.
A crash like this — where one vehicle is left in a dangerous and unexpected position, and another ends up with a seriously injured driver — cannot be fully understood by looking only at the moment of impact. A thorough investigation must account for what led up to the crash, whether the vehicles performed as they should have and what the available data reveals. Only then can the injured party, and the community, get the answers they deserve.
