Midland County, TX — June 4, 2024, Eric and Vanessa Godinez and seven others were injured in a car accident just after 7:45 p.m. along County Road 1210.
According to authorities, five people—35-year-old Eric Godinez, 31-year-old Vanessa Godinez, a 9-year-old boy, and 11-year-old boy, and a 14-year-old girl—were traveling in a westbound Ford Explorer on County Road 140 at the County Road 1210 intersection when the accident took place.
The intersection is controlled by a four-way stop. Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a northbound Toyota Sienna minivan occupied by a 35-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl entered the intersection at an unsafe time, failing to yield the right-of-way at a stop sign. A T-bone collision consequently occurred between the front-end of the minivan and the left side of the Explorer. The impact caused the Explorer to go into a spin. It was subsequently involved in a secondary collision with a southbound Chevrolet Trailblazer occupied by two 28-year-old women.
Eric Godinez, Vanessa Godinez, and the woman who had been a passenger in the Trailblazer reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. Everyone else involved suffered minor injuries, as well, according to reports.
Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
Crashes at four-way stops are often portrayed as simple failures to yield, but when a collision leads to multiple injuries and secondary impacts, it’s clear that the full picture is anything but simple. With several families affected and serious injuries reported, there’s a responsibility to make sure every contributing factor is uncovered—not just assumed.
1. Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
When a crash at a four-way stop results in a T-bone impact and a second collision, it demands more than routine documentation. Did investigators analyze who arrived at the intersection first? Was the sequence of stops verified through scene mapping or witness accounts? And once the Explorer was struck, did the investigation account for how it ended up in the path of the Trailblazer? Intersections with multiple converging vehicles and timing-sensitive movements require precise reconstruction—without it, accountability and prevention efforts fall flat.
2. Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
While the focus will understandably be on whether the minivan stopped or didn’t, that can’t be the end of the inquiry. Could the Sienna have experienced brake fade, delayed response, or steering issues that made the driver misjudge the entry? Did the Explorer or Trailblazer have systems that failed to react as expected—like stability control, traction systems, or malfunctioning lights? With this many injuries, mechanical inspections aren’t just useful—they’re necessary.
3. Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Each of the vehicles involved likely contained valuable digital evidence—data that could clarify who stopped, who moved first, and how fast each vehicle was traveling. Did investigators retrieve that information? Were any dashcams or home surveillance systems nearby that could have captured the sequence? Even GPS apps or driving monitors on phones could help verify movement. In complex, multi-vehicle crashes, electronic records are often the only reliable source of truth.
With multiple people injured, including children, and three vehicles involved, there’s no room for shortcuts. The real story isn’t just who failed to yield—it’s how a moment at an intersection spiraled into something much larger, and whether that chain of events could have been broken.
Key Takeaways:
- Crashes at four-way stops need full timing and sequence analysis to properly assign responsibility.
- Brake, steering, or stability control failures may play hidden roles and should be investigated.
- Onboard vehicle data and external footage are key to understanding complex multi-vehicle collisions.
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