Highlands, TX — November 22, 2024, one person was injured in a hit-and-run accident at about 11:10 p.m. on Jones Road.
A preliminary accident report indicates an unknown vehicle was headed west near Thompson Road when it hit a pedestrian. The vehicle did not stop after the collision.
The pedestrian, a 35-year-old man whose name has not been made public, suffered serious injuries in the crash, according to authorities.
The vehicle that hit the man has not been identified.
Authorities have not released any additional information about the Harris County crash.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When I see a report about a hit-and-run crash like this one in Highlands, I immediately think about how crucial it is to get to the bottom of what really happened. These types of cases present obvious challenges, but they also demand that we ask three essential questions to uncover the truth: Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash? Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash? Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
The first and most pressing issue is the investigation itself. When a vehicle leaves the scene of a crash — especially one involving serious injuries — it raises important questions about how well the area was secured and whether critical evidence was gathered in time. Were there surveillance cameras nearby? Did authorities canvass local homes or businesses for footage? Were tire marks, debris or vehicle fragments recovered that could help identify the make and model of the vehicle? In hit-and-run crashes, timing is everything. The faster investigators can preserve and analyze the scene, the more likely it is that they’ll find clues pointing to the vehicle’s identity. Unfortunately, in late-night incidents like this one, limited visibility and scarce witnesses can make those efforts more difficult, which is why thorough investigative work is all the more important.
Next, we have to consider whether a vehicle defect may have played a role. That might sound counterintuitive in a hit-and-run case, but it’s worth considering: Could the vehicle’s headlights have failed, making it harder to see the pedestrian? Could there have been a failure in the braking or steering system that contributed to the crash? These kinds of issues become particularly important if the vehicle is eventually located. Once recovered, it’s essential that the vehicle be preserved and thoroughly examined, not just to confirm it was involved, but to determine whether a mechanical failure played any part. In my experience, these questions are rarely asked unless someone is advocating specifically for them to be explored.
Finally, there’s the matter of electronic data. If and when the suspect vehicle is found, its engine control module could provide valuable information, such as speed, throttle input and braking activity in the moments leading up to the crash. This could clarify whether the driver attempted to stop, or if the vehicle behaved in a way that suggests malfunction. Beyond that, nearby surveillance footage, dash cameras or even the pedestrian’s own phone data might help reconstruct what happened. But all of this information is perishable: it needs to be collected quickly and correctly to have any value.
At the end of the day, hit-and-run crashes leave behind more than physical injuries. They leave families and communities with unanswered questions. For the man who was struck and seriously hurt, and for those who care about him, the least the community can do is ensure that every effort is made to understand what happened. That begins with asking the right questions and making sure nothing — whether it’s evidence, data or the possibility of a defect — is left unexamined.
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