Upshur County, TX — September 7, 2024, 77-year-old Martha Russell died and injuries were reported in a multi-vehicle accident on U.S. Highway 271 in Upshur County.
Authorities say the incident happened around 4:50 p.m. on US-271 near Farm to Market Road 2088. Preliminary investigation suggests Russell was driving a Kia Rio north on the highway in the left lane, followed by a Ford F-150 towing a trailer. On the other side of the road, a Ford Edge and a Chevy Silverado were traveling south.
Investigators allege that Russell intended to turn left into a nearby parking lot, so she slowed to a stop in the left lane with her signal activated. Behind her, the F-150 driver failed to control his speed for unknown reasons and crashed into the rear of the Kia. The impact spun the Kia through the southbound lanes and it came to rest on the shoulder.
After the collision with the Kia the F-150 and its trailer collided with the southbound Ford and Chevy, respectively. The F-150 separated from its trailer and rolled over before coming to rest on the southbound shoulder; the trailer also stopped on the shoulder a short distance away.
Martha Russell was fatally injured in the crash. The F-150 driver and the occupants of the Silverado reportedly received non-life-threatening injuries.
No further details are currently available.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
I noticed a peculiar detail in the preliminary details reported by investigators: Despite being rear-ended by a larger vehicle, the victim’s airbags didn’t go off during the initial crash. Contrary to what some people believe, airbags often deploy during a rear-end collision of sufficient force. So why didn’t they here?
In rare cases, airbags may fail to go off even when they should have. The most common reason for that they weren’t replaced after going off in a previous accident, but the collision also might not have happened at one of the spots that triggers airbag deployment. In very rare but serious cases, though, a manufacturer defect may cause the airbag to fail. In these cases, the car manufacturing company could be held liable for any injuries suffered in a crash.
Without knowing how fast the pickup was traveling just before impact, we can’t know whether this crash should have triggered the airbags’ deployment; however, this wouldn’t be the first case we’ve seen where they failed to do their job when needed. I’m not saying I know something investigators don’t; the years have just taught me that defective and malfunctioning devices cause far more accidents than anyone realizes. I hope someone looks into whether anything like that contributed to the loss of someone’s loved one in Upshur County.
call us 
Email Us 
Text us