Webb County, TX — July 28, 2024, Gustavo Cardenas and three others were injured in a car accident at approximately 5:15 p.m. along Farm to Market 1472.
According to authorities, four people—55-year-old Gustavo Cardenas, a 52-year-old an 81-year-old, and a 17-year-old girl—were traveling in a southbound GMC Terrain on F.M. 1472 (Mines Road) at the Pinnacle Road intersection when the accident took place.
The intersection is controlled by a traffic light. Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a Chevrolet Silverado that had been traveling southbound behind the Terrain failed to appropriately control its speed. A collision consequently occurred between the rear-end of the Terrain and the front-end of the Silverado. The impact pushed the Terrain forward, leading to a secondary collision with the left side of an 18-wheeler’s trailer that had been traveling through the intersection on Pinnacle.
Cardenas and all three other occupants of the Terrain reportedly sustained serious injuries over the course of the accident. They were each 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.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a vehicle is struck from behind and pushed into the path of a semi-truck, the immediate cause may seem obvious—but that doesn’t mean the investigation should stop there. In crashes like this, especially with multiple serious injuries, it’s critical to ask whether the full story has really been uncovered.
Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
A rear-end collision followed by a secondary impact with a large truck suggests a complex sequence of events. Investigators should have carefully reconstructed both collisions—measuring distances, reviewing brake marks, and analyzing how traffic was flowing through the intersection at that moment. Did the Terrain come to a full stop? Was the Silverado following too closely, or was something else happening in the seconds before impact? These are the kinds of questions that require scene mapping and crash reconstruction, not just paperwork.
Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
If the Silverado failed to slow down or stop in time, it’s fair to ask whether a mechanical issue—like brake failure or a sensor malfunction—might have played a role. Even a minor delay in a braking system could be enough to trigger a collision at an intersection. Likewise, the Terrain and the 18-wheeler should be checked as well. Airbag deployment failures, structural weaknesses, or even trailer lighting issues might have influenced outcomes. Without inspections, these factors may go unnoticed.
Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
All three vehicles likely contain electronic data that could help clarify what really happened. Speed, braking force, throttle input, and steering can all be retrieved from modern cars and trucks. Dash cam footage or traffic cameras at a signalized intersection may also shed light on who was moving when, and at what speed. If investigators didn’t pull this data early, there’s a risk that the evidence is already gone—or worse, was never sought in the first place.
Crashes that send an entire vehicle full of people to the hospital demand more than a surface-level review. It’s not just about which vehicle hit which—it’s about whether every factor, visible or not, was considered.
Takeaways:
- Serious multi-vehicle crashes at intersections must be reconstructed in detail.
- Brake or sensor issues in any vehicle could have contributed and should be inspected.
- Vehicle telemetry and intersection camera footage may provide the clearest account.
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