Lubbock, TX — April 9, 2023, Michael Crank was killed while Zachary Crank was seriously injured due to a single-vehicle accident along 34th Street.
Investigators reported that the crash happened in the area of 34th Street and Research Boulevard early Sunday morning. At around 2:00 a.m., authorities believe that two Lovington firefighters, identified as 19-year-old Michael Crank and 18-year-old Zachary Crank, were in a vehicle that somehow ran off-road. As a result, the vehicle crashed and overturned, ejecting both Michael and Zachary.
Due to the crash, Michael Crank sustained fatal injuries. Zachary Crank was taken to a local ICU with injuries suspected to be serious. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the crash is still under investigation.
Commentary by Attorney Michael Grossman
It’s just awful to see any accident where kids are killed. What makes things worse is whenever I see people jumping to conclusions based on the ages of those victims. I’ve been doing this job for a long time, and it would surprise folks to see how often a vehicle loses control without drivers having any way to avoid it. Mechanical issues, road hazards, tire blowouts, hit-and-runs, roadway defects, etc. Yet people see a teenager behind the wheel, and their first and final thought tends to be, “What a shame, another kid on their phone.” That’s obviously a possibility, but what good does it do sitting around thinking of ways to blame a young driver who’s in need of serious help or is no longer around to tell their side of the story?
I obviously can’t say what did or didn’t happen here, and authorities hopefully are looking into all possible factors, avoidable or not. But in the meantime, is jumping to conclusions going to help anyone, let alone the victim’s loved ones? Of course not. So while I’m glad I haven’t yet seen any of that reprehensible talk surrounding this crash, I can only hope it stays that way so authorities can focus on getting this family the answers they deserve.
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