Grayson County, TX — June 23, 2024, one person was killed and Janette and David Shahan and another person were injured in a car accident at about 7:45 p.m. on U.S. 277.
According to authorities, three people—78-year-olds Janette and David Shahan and a 52-year-old man—were traveling in a southbound Nissan Altima on U.S. 277 approaching the Bones Chapel Road intersection when the accident took place.
Officials indicate that, for as yet unknown reasons, a northbound Honda Civic occupied by a 24-year-old woman failed to appropriately control its speed as a Volkswagen Jetta came to a stop ahead of it in order to wait for southbound traffic to clear so a safe left turn could be made. A collision consequently occurred between the rear-end of the Jetta and the front-end of the Civic. After the initial collision, the Civic went into the oncoming lane where it was involved in a secondary collision with the southbound Altima.
The woman who had been behind the wheel of the Civic suffered fatal injuries over the course of the accident. Janette and David Shahan suffered serious injuries, and the 52-year-old received minor injuries, as well. Additional details pertaining to this incident are not available at this point in time.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
When a chain-reaction crash ends with one vehicle crossing into oncoming traffic, the full story often lies in the seconds between the first and second impacts. That’s especially true when someone is killed and others are seriously hurt. Understanding how this unfolded takes more than noting the sequence—it takes a close look at why the collision wasn’t prevented.
Did the authorities thoroughly investigate the crash?
This type of incident involves multiple stages: an initial rear-end impact and then a secondary head-on collision. Did investigators analyze how fast the Honda Civic was traveling before the first crash? Was there any attempt to brake or steer away? A proper reconstruction should account for skid marks, vehicle rest positions, and timing to understand if the Civic driver had enough time to react to the stopped Jetta. The transition from rear-end impact to crossing the center line is a critical piece that must be explained through detailed crash analysis.
Has anyone looked into the possibility that a vehicle defect caused the crash?
Rear-end collisions are often linked to inattention, but they can also result from mechanical failures—especially with braking systems or electronic stability control. If the Civic’s brakes didn’t engage properly, or if the car accelerated unexpectedly, that could explain both the initial impact and the loss of control. Similarly, if steering was affected after the first crash, that could have contributed to the vehicle veering into the path of the Altima. Unless the Civic was inspected post-crash, these factors may have gone unexplored.
Has all the electronic data relating to the crash been collected?
Event data recorders in modern vehicles like the Civic, Jetta, and Altima can show speed, braking effort, throttle input, and steering angle in the moments before and during the collisions. That data is often the only way to confirm whether a driver reacted, or whether the vehicle behaved as expected. It can also help identify whether the second crash was avoidable or already inevitable following the first. If no one pulled that data early on, the clearest account of what actually happened could now be lost.
When one impact leads to another, and lives are permanently changed, it’s not enough to know which vehicle crossed the line. The real insight comes from understanding how—and why—that second collision happened at all.
- Chain-reaction crashes require full reconstruction of both initial and secondary impacts.
- Brake or stability system failures can cause or worsen rear-end and crossover crashes.
- Vehicle data is critical for confirming speed, driver actions, and system performance.
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